Sechaba power station
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Sechaba power station is a cancelled power station in Palapye, Central, Botswana. It is also known as Sechaba Coal independent power plant, Sechaba Independent Power Producer Project (SIPPP), SCIPP.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Sechaba power station | Palapye, Central, Botswana | -22.55, 27.133333 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 150 | subcritical |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 150 | subcritical |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Shumba Energy Ltd [100%] | Shumba Energy Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Shumba Energy Ltd [100%] | Shumba Energy Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Sechaba mine
Background
Botswana-based Shumba Coal has proposed the 300 MW Sechaba power station, which the company plans to establish at its Sechaba coal project. The pre-feasibility studies were completed in 2014.[1]
In August 2014, Shumba Coal Resources said it had raised US$2.2-million to invest in the Sechaba coal project. Electricity from the power plant would be fed into Botswana Power Corporation’s transmission grid at Morupule and exported to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The coal mining component of the project could export more than one-million tonnes of coal a year through South Africa, Namibia or Mozambique.[2]
On its website (2015), Shumba Coal describes Sechaba coal project as having "1 billion tonnes of good export quality thermal coal delineated in two main shallow coal seams." Plans for the mining complex include "to develop the Sechaba area into an Energy Complex (consisting 4 projects) producing coal and power for both domestic and international markets. First production is targeted for 2016."[3][4]
According to Shumba's FY2016 report, the company has submitted its EIA for the plant, and has prepared bid preparation for the Botswana Greenfield IPP and South African Baseload IPP programs. The company also changed its name to Shumba Energy.[5]
In April 2016 it was reported Shumba was seeking a strategic partner for the power station.[6]
In October 2016 South Africa's Department of Energy announced that the successful bidders for the 1st coal-based IPP Programme were the Thabametsi power station and the Khanyisa power station.[7]
In February 2018, it was reported that Shumba Energy was in the process of finalising the power producer agreement (PPA) ahead of construction on the Sechaba Coal power plant, set to commence by 2018/19.[8]
In November 2018, it was reported that Shumba Energy planned to sell a 50% stake in the Sechaba coal mining prospect to privately-held South African firm Lurco Group.[9] In December 2018 Lurco Group said an agreement had been reached for the establishment of a 50:50 joint venture partnership with Shumba Coal for the Sechaba project: "The deal will allow the partnership to supply coal into the region and for export."[10]
No mention was made of plans for a coal plant in the agreement.
Shumba's 2020 Annual Report still included an SCIPP (Sechaba Coal independent power plant) Project heading alongside a mine update. Shumba Energy summarized that new JV was a challenging venture, with unfilled financial and physical project advancement obligations. Plans for the exploration drilling of the early start opencast mining area were reportedly affected first by contractor availability and then seriously by the COVID-19 pandemic lock-downs.[11]
Previous versions of Shumba's annual reports provided no known developments on this project, but stated that it was still believed to be 'commercially viable'. The 2021 Annual Report, however, added a line saying "these projects [referring to the Sechaba and Mabesekwa IPPs] are still commercially viable, except for a particular project which has been deemed to be no longer viable by management during the year under review. The license thereof has been relinquished."[12] It is unclear which project this sentence is referring to.
With no known developments on the plant since early 2018, the proposal appears cancelled.
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Preliminary studies for Botswana power plant completed," Engineering News, June 6, 2014
- ↑ "Junior raises cash for Botswana coal, power project," Mining Weekly, August 8, 2014
- ↑ "Sechaba Project," Shumba Coal website, accessed February 2015
- ↑ Kabo Ditlhakeng, "Is Shumba Coal the remedy to Botswana power crises?" The Botswana Gazette, April 23, 2015
- ↑ "Report for FY 2016," Shumba Energy, December 2015
- ↑ David McKay, "Shumba Energy eyes electricity export deal with Eskom," Mining Mx, April 29, 2016
- ↑ "Coal-based Independent Power Producer programme announcement," Department of Energy, October 10, 2016 (pdf)
- ↑ "Investment opportunities in Botswana’s infrastructure development projects," Global Africa Network, February 20, 2018
- ↑ "Shumba sells 50% stake in Sechaba thermal coal project to SA’s Lurco Group," Mining Mx, November 19, 2018
- ↑ "Joint venture to develop Sechaba coal project," Lurco, December 6, 2018
- ↑ "Annual Report 2020," Shumba Energy, December 2020
- ↑ "Shumba Energy Limited (SHUMBA.bw) 2021 Annual Report," African Financials, September 29, 2021
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
