Coal miner turns to the sun for energy



A coal mining company in Botswana plans to develop a solar power station to generate up to 200MW of electricity as the country struggles with power shortages Botswana's central bank warned last month that the electricity disruptions could undercut aims to maintain growth above 4%.Shumba Coal said its solar installation would initially produce 100MW and this would increase to 200MW over time. The project includes the installation of 400000 photovoltaic cells across an area of 200ha, the company said."We see solar energy as complementary to our coal-based energy projects," said Shumba's managing director Mashale Phumaphi.Power from the station would also supply upcoming copper mines in the Kalahari copper belt, which are currently not connected to the national grid, he added.Cupric Canyon Capital, a private equity firm backed by a unit of Barclays, said last month it would soon begin construction of a copper mine in the area.Zambia has started rationing power to that country's mines. "They have given us a schedule indicating how much electricity they will supply to us at different times of the day," a source said.Africa's second-biggest copper producer has cut generation by 300MW after levels in Kariba Dam fell due to drought.