(Image source: Michael Vadon/Commons)

The World Wildlife Fund have commented, stating that the US withdrawing from the Paris agreement will delay the transition and could lead to temperatures peaking at higher levels, with concurrent climate change impacts on millions of people 

A CBM project has the potential to bring power to more of Botswana. (Image Source: Graham Maclachlan)

Botswanas gas reserves, extracted from coal beds, could play an important role in the southern African countrys energy security

This is according to Anthony Gilby, CEO and managing director of Tlou Energy, when he addressed the Africa Independents Forum in London this week. He said that Botswana has a "very attractive power market", and that the countrys coal bed methane (CBM) reserves could also be used to help South African residents, industries and businesses access electricity.

Botswana has independently certified gas reserves in place and Gilby believes that the first gas-to-power plant could be online "potentially by 2019". He said he expects drilling to commence in the second half of 2018. Power grid infrastructure already in place in Botswana is "world class", he said.

"This will replace expensive power, including imports and diesel generation," said Gilby. Tlou Energy has 100 per cent ownership of Lasedi, an 8,300km² licence area in which drilling for CBM at depths between 400m and 1,000m has taken place. Fracking is not required to release the gas, according to Gilby.

He added that as well as the impressive CBM reserves, Botswana is a "good, stable democracy with low levels of corruption".

"[Extracting CBM for gas-to-power] will help diversify the economy away from diamonds," he said. "It is a reliable source of clean energy."  

As well as having full ownership of the licence area, Tlou retains the right to hold up to 50 per cent in power generation assets. 

This contract is worth approximately US$11.8mn with an execution deadline of 18 months. (Image source: Todd Lappin/Flickr)

Efacec Power Solutions (EPS), a Portugese firm, has won the deal to build three power substations in the rural areas of Rwanda, such as Mamba Sector, Gisagara district, Rwabusoro in Nyanza district and Rilima in Bugesera district

GT36-S6. (Image source: Ansaldo Energia)

The first GT36 Unit, Ansaldo Energia’s H-Class gas turbine model, has successfully completed the first phase of the comprehensive validation program at the Birr Test Power Plant in Switzerland