(Ecofin Agency) - The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) announced it will sell the Morupule B coal-fired 600 MW power station. The infrastructure which was built by the China National Electric Equipment Corporation at a cost of $970 million has been experiencing persistent technical problems since it was commissioned in 2012.

“Morupule B has proven to be costly to maintain and operate due to construction defects rendering the plant unreliable,” Botswana Power Corporation Chief Stefan Schwarzfischer said in a notice reported by Reuters. The sale should take between 6 and 12 months according to him.
Let’s recall that in March 2016, a joint venture between Japanese firm Marubeni Corp and South Korean Posco Energy won an $800 million tender to increase the plant’s capacity by 300 MW.

Gwladys Johnson