Botswana has the simplest energy regulator in the region: BERA licenses electricity, petroleum products, gas, coal, solar and all forms of renewable energy under one Act. That removes a whole class of confusion that exists in neighbouring markets.
What people miss is that a generation project needs two approvals, not one. Section 41(1) of the BERA Act, read with section 39, provides that a person shall not construct significant infrastructure unless authorised to do so by the Authority. That authorisation to construct is separate from the generation licence itself, and the application for it must include an approved Environmental Impact Assessment, or an exemption from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
For businesses looking at their own rooftops, the number to know is 100 kW. Under BERA's Rooftop Solar Guidelines, systems above that capacity are licensed by BERA, and the licence term is 15 years.
Insika assesses energy opportunities, positions projects correctly against the licensing steps, coordinates the environmental and technical work, and prepares projects for funding.
Two approvals: construct, then generate
This is the structural point that shapes a project programme in Botswana.
Authorisation to construct. Section 41(1) read with section 39 of the BERA Act provides that a person shall not construct significant infrastructure unless authorised by the Authority. The application for that authorisation covers the project at a high level: the technical proposal and timelines, the plan for connecting to the grid, operational matters such as proposed power wheeling arrangements, and an approved Environmental Impact Assessment or an exemption from the Department of Environmental Affairs. The applicant also has to state what type of licence they will be applying for on the commercial side.
The generation licence. The operating licence that follows, allowing the plant to generate once built.
Two practical consequences. First, the environmental process sits inside the construct application, not after it, which is consistent with section 5(1) of the Environmental Assessment Act 2011 barring any licensing authority from issuing an approval for a prescribed activity before authorisation is issued. See environmental compliance. Second, grid connection and wheeling are part of the application, not a later commercial negotiation, so the offtake and connection strategy has to be developed before you apply.
The 100 kW rooftop threshold, and selling to BPC
BERA operates a Rooftop Solar Programme for grid-tied roof or ground-mounted solar PV systems, with or without battery storage, owned by consumers at the same location where they receive their electricity bill. Generation is primarily intended for self-use, with excess generation eligible to be sold to the Botswana Power Corporation.
The licensing line is clear: for rooftop solar systems above 100 kW, a licence will be issued by BERA to verify that the system meets the full intent and requirements of the Electricity Supply Act, and the licence term is 15 years.
Other features of the programme worth knowing:
- The system-wide aggregate capacity of the programme in its first 12 months was 10 MW, so it was designed as a controlled rollout rather than an open market.
- Systems may be roof or ground mounted and may include battery storage. Ground-mounted is expressly within the programme, which matters for a business with land but an unsuitable roof.
- Installation work must involve a technician or engineer certified by the Engineers Registration Board of Botswana. This is not a category where an unregistered installer is acceptable.
- The guidelines cover metering and billing, technical standards, access and indemnity, dispute resolution and auditing of installed systems. Systems are audited after installation.
Utility-scale and independent power production
Botswana has moved from a coal-dominated, single-utility model toward independent power production, and there are real projects on the ground, with solar stations developed at Jwaneng and Palapye among the reference points.
Generation for export by an independent power producer is permitted under the 2007 amendment to the Electricity Supply Act, which is a meaningful feature: Botswana's solar resource is excellent and it sits inside the Southern African Power Pool, so an export-oriented project is legally contemplated rather than an exception.
Botswana Power Corporation remains the utility counterparty for connection and, in the rooftop programme, the purchaser of excess generation.
On national targets, we will not give you a single number, because the published figures do not agree. Depending on the source, Botswana has been reported as targeting 15 percent renewables by 2030, 30 percent by 2030, 36 percent by 2036, 50 percent by 2036, and 50 percent by 2040. Those cannot all be the current official position. The direction is unambiguous and the specific target should be confirmed against current government policy before it goes into an investment memorandum.
Where the opportunity actually is
- Commercial and industrial self-generation. The most accessible route. Botswana's solar resource is among the best in the world, grid tariffs are real, and the rooftop framework contemplates selling excess to BPC. The 100 kW line determines whether you are licensing or simply installing.
- Mine-site generation. Large, stable industrial loads in a high-irradiance country, with wheeling expressly contemplated in the construct authorisation. This is the strongest structural opportunity in the market. See mining.
- Utility-scale IPP. Longer, more capital intensive, and requiring both approvals plus offtake, but legally established with projects on the ground. Public offtake and supply opportunities run through procurement.
- Storage. Expressly allowed within the rooftop programme, and increasingly what makes a commercial solar business case work rather than merely reduce a daytime bill.
- Energy efficiency and green building. No licence, fastest payback, and it reduces the size of whatever generation project follows.
The wider green economy, including climate finance, carbon opportunities, ESG and green investment, is developing alongside this, and larger projects should test development and climate finance routes as part of their funding strategy.
How an energy project comes together
Sequenced so the two approvals and the environmental process do not collide with construction.
- Load and resource assessment
What the site consumes and when, and what it can generate. This sets the capacity, and capacity determines whether you cross the 100 kW licensing line.
- Regulatory positioning
Establish whether the project needs a rooftop licence, a full construct authorisation and generation licence, or neither, and engage BERA early.
- Environmental assessment
An approved EIA, or a written exemption from the Department of Environmental Affairs. This is required as part of the construct application, so it comes first.
- Grid connection and wheeling strategy
Developed before the application, because the connection plan and any wheeling arrangement form part of it.
- Technical design
By a technician or engineer certified by the Engineers Registration Board of Botswana, to the applicable technical standards.
- Authorisation to construct
The section 41(1) application, with the technical proposal, timelines, grid plan, operational arrangements, environmental approval and the intended licence type.
- Commercial structure and funding
Offtake or avoided-cost case, and the financial model. See funding and investment.
- Construction, licence and operation
Build, obtain the generation licence, then operate under its conditions with the auditing the framework provides for.
What Insika does on energy projects
- Feasibility. Load, resource, site and commercial case, assessed before design spend.
- Regulatory positioning. Which approvals apply, and whether the project sits above or below the 100 kW rooftop line.
- Environmental coordination. Obtaining the approved assessment or the exemption that the construct application requires.
- Grid and wheeling strategy. Developed early because it forms part of the application.
- Technical coordination. Engineers certified by the Engineers Registration Board, and the specialist studies the project needs.
- Commercial structuring and funding preparation. Offtake, avoided-cost cases, storage economics, and development or climate finance routes.
- Honest advice on efficiency first. Where reducing consumption beats generating, we say so.
- Staged delivery. Larger schemes run through the milestone method on our project development page.
Official sources
This guide is based on the current rules published by the relevant Botswana authorities. Always confirm the latest fees and requirements with the office that applies to you.