Botala Energy advances pre-feasibility study for Serowe

May 07, 2024 at 15:15 PM EDT

Botala Energy Ltd (ASX:BTE) energy development manager Dr Steve Lennon sits down with Proactive’s Jonathan Jackson to discuss the progress the company is making with its pre-feasibility study for the Serowe coal bed methane (CBM) Project in Botswana.Lennon explains how this stage is vital for transitioning from exploration licences to mining licences. The study focuses on three main areas - increasing gas production at the wellfield (upstream), processing and transportation of gas to central sites (midstream) and gas utilisation, mainly as liquefied natural gas for the Southern African market (downstream).The options explored include on-site processing, a physical pipeline and a virtual pipeline for transporting liquefied natural gas. The initial financial assessments confirm the feasibility of these options, with straightforward technological requirements and well-advanced approval processes.Furthermore, Botala Energy's longer-term objectives include substantial power generation using gas and solar energy. These ambitions necessitate incremental developments, such as establishing a gas power generation plant and a four-megawatt solar farm at the Leupane Energy Hub. A key partnership has been formed with AAA Energy, a developer of photovoltaic farms, to develop the initial 200-250 megawatts of solar power at Leupane. AAA will oversee the majority of the bankable feasibility study, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.