Provider of flexible solar solutions Release, owned by renewable energy solutions company Scatec, and Climate Fund Managers through its EU-supported Climate Investor One Fund, on February 12 signed a seven-year leasing agreement with Tshukudu Metals Botswana – a subsidiary of Australia-based copper explorer and producer Sandfire Resources – for a 21 MW solar power plant at Sandfire’s Motheo copper operations near Ghanzi in Botswana.

The project is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 and will generate about 40 GWh of clean energy a year, covering about 30% of Motheo’s electricity demand.

The agreement marks Release’s entry into Botswana’s mining energy market and builds on Scatec’s established presence in the country.

“This agreement demonstrates the strength of our lease-to-own solution, where we combine technical expertise with flexible financing to enable our clients to access large-scale solar without upfront capital investment,” says Release CEO Hans Kvalvaag.

Bringing this solution to Botswana for the first time and in partnership with Motheo, he adds, is a major milestone for Release.

The deal supports Sandfire’s decarbonisation goals and underscores the growing trend of miners adopting renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprint.

About Motheo

Motheo is located in the central portion of the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana. The Motheo operations include the T3 and A4 openpit mines, as well as the A1 development project.

The mining method employed involves an openpit mine that uses conventional truck-and-shovel extraction and materials handling tasks.

The mine’s processing is undertaken using a central processing facility with demonstrated capacity of 5.6-million tonnes a year, comprising conventional crushing, grinding and flotation processes.

Motheo produces a high-quality copper concentrate (containing a silver by-product) from its centralised processing facility that is transported by truck to Walvis Bay, Namibia, for shipping to global smelters.

The operation is supported by a community office in the nearby town of Ghanzi, which is the focal point for managing human resources and community relations in the Ghanzi district.

Over 95% of Motheo’s direct employees are Batswana, and over 78% of managers are also Batswana.