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Sua Pan Soda Ash

Coal power plant in North East, Botswana. Approximate location -21.1667, 27.5167.

CoalNorth EastBotswanaShelved

Sua Pan Soda Ash is a 14 MW coal power plant in North East, Botswana. It is operated by Kibo Energy Botswana Pty Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 18k homes (estimated). It ranks #12 of 12 Botswana power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 98.3% of Botswana's electricity; the national grid averages 851 gCO₂/kWh (0.3% low-carbon) (2024).

14MW installed capacity
17,520homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023018.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySua Pan Soda Ash WRI
CountryBotswana · North East WRI
Coordinates-21.1667, 27.5167 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity14 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerKibo Energy Botswana Pty Ltd [100%] WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions61,320 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#12 / 12 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#11 / 11 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.02× · 600 MW · n=11 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent17,520 calculated
Climate21.4°C · HDD 180 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 14 MW, Sua Pan Soda Ash is below the median coal plant in Botswana (600 MW). Its current lifecycle status is “Shelved” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Botswana

Mmamabula Energy Project: 3,600 MW4kMmamabula …Morpule: 732 MW732MorpuleNew Morupule power station: 615 MW615New Morupu…Mmamabula West power station: 600 MW600Mmamabula …Mmamantswe power station: 600 MW600Mmamantswe…Morupule IPP: 600 MW600Morupule I…Sese Integrated Power Project: 450 MW450Sese Integ…CIC Domestic power station: 300 MW300CIC Domest…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Kibo Energy Botswana Pty Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 21.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.4°Cannual mean temp
180heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,413cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
978 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 25 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 15 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 24 °CON: 25 °CND: 25 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 93% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 16/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
10.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
737 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #11 largest coal power plant of 11 in Botswana by capacity.

Botswana has 11 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 8,111 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -21.1667, 27.5167 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sua Pan Soda Ash?

Sua Pan Soda Ash is a 14 MW coal power plant in North East, Botswana.

How many homes can Sua Pan Soda Ash power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 17,520 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sua Pan Soda Ash?

Sua Pan Soda Ash is operated by Kibo Energy Botswana Pty Ltd [100%].

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