Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and Debswana Diamond Company have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to collaborate on the use of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)—a move that supports Botswana’s push toward a more sustainable energy future.
Debswana, jointly owned by the Government of Botswana and De Beers Group, operates four diamond mines across the country: Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa, and Jwaneng.
This partnership will enable Debswana to access and demonstrate its use of renewable electricity, sourced from solar power plants outlined in the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
“This initiative reflects Botswana’s commitment to the global climate agenda and supports the national IRP in building a cleaner, more resilient energy future,” said BPC CEO David Kgoboko. “With 1.5 GW of planned renewables and 50 MW already online at the Mmadinare solar plant, BPC is making real progress toward a sustainable energy mix.”
The MoA establishes a framework to harness solar energy attributes and quantify them through RECs—a globally recognized tool that allows companies to transparently verify their renewable energy usage and reduce carbon emissions.
This agreement aims to accelerate industrial decarbonisation, beginning with key industry players like Debswana.
Debswana Managing Director Andrew Maatla Motsomi explained that the company’s decarbonisation strategy is structured around four core pillars:
Reducing energy intensity
Transitioning to alternative fuels
Decarbonising electricity supply
Implementing carbon recovery initiatives
“As part of this strategy, we’ve improved our operational energy efficiency and surpassed our annual targets,” Motsomi said.
“We’ve also made significant progress in greening our electricity supply, including commissioning over 1.6 MW of rooftop solar capacity across our operations.”
In a further step toward reducing emissions, Debswana piloted electric vehicles (EVs) at its mines in 2024 to tackle diesel usage—a major source of its carbon footprint.
Motsomi added that carbon recovery remains a key area of focus, with the company exploring both technological innovations and nature-based solutions to accelerate its decarbonisation journey.
