Power utility Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and Debswana Diamond Company recently announced the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on renewable energy certificates (RECs).

Debswana is owned in equal shares by the Botswana government and miner De Beers Group.

This strategic partnership will enable Debswana’s operations to access and demonstrate the use of renewable electricity, sourced from the planned solar plants in the national Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Debswana operates four diamond mines in Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa and Jwaneng.

“This initiative reflects Botswana’s commitment to the global climate agenda and supports the national IRP to build a cleaner, more resilient energy future. With 1.5 GW of planned renewables and 50 MW already online at Mmadinare solar plant, BPC is delivering real progress towards a sustainable energy mix,” says BPC CEO David Kgoboko.

The MoA establishes a framework to harness renewable energy attributes from solar power stations, providing a platform to drive industrial decarbonisation, starting with major players like Debswana.

These attributes are quantified through RECs, a globally recognised mechanism that allows companies to transparently demonstrate renewable energy use and reduce their carbon footprint.

“Debswana‘s decarbonisation strategy is structured around four key pillars which are: reducing energy intensity, transitioning to alternative fuels, decarbonising electricity supply, and carbon recovery initiatives,” Debswana MD Andrew Maatla Motsomi points out.

“As part of our decarbonisation strategy, we have been actively improving operational energy efficiency and surpassed our annual target. We have also made significant strides in decarbonising our electricity supply, commissioning over 1.6 MW of rooftop solar capacity across Debswana operations,” he adds.

Recognising diesel consumption as a significant source of carbon emissions, Debswana took a step in 2024 to pilot electric vehicles at its mines, Motsomi informs.

He emphasises that carbon recovery initiatives remain a key focus area for the business, as it explores both technological advancements and nature-based solutions to accelerate decarbonisation efforts.