KSE Orapa and Mmashoro IPP

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The Orapa independent power plant was a project by Karoo Sustainable Energy (KSE), thad added 90MW to the national grid. It was one of two mid-merit or peaker power plants totalling 270MW in capacity. The other plant, 180MW, was located in Mmashoro. Both were to run off coal bed methane (CBM) produced at the coal mines of Kalahari Energy, which was a 50% steakholder in KSE. The other 50% of KSE was held by Turkish power company Tuten. KSE had finalised a 15-year power purchasing agreement with Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), to sell 100% of the power produced. 90MW of the power was to be produced at Orapa, and another 180MW at Mmashoro. The Orapa diamond mine was to use around 50MW of capacity. Mmashoro is the site of Kalahari's Energy's mines. The Orapa plant was to be a BOT, operated by KSE and owned by BPC, but KSE will own and operate the larger facility at Mmashoro. The Orapa turbine plant was officially handed over to Botswana Power Corporation by Debswana in October 2011. It was commissioned in August 2011. (Financial closure for February 2011, when most of the construction had been completed as the website showed). The project was completed for $104 million (Pula 710 million) against a budgeted $124 million (Pula 850 million). Debt financing was to come entirely from the private sector owners. N.B. The Orapa power station emerged from a tender awarded to KSE in 2008 for the development of a 250 MW CBM gas-fired power station. Following technical challenges, the original project did not materialise, resulting in restructuring of the project into the Orapa 90 MW and a 180 MW gas-fired power station to be developed by KSE in Mmashoro. Needs additional info on financing (US ExIm?) Sponsor info needs update (Karoo Sustainable Energy - KSE).