Gaberone - Botswana and Zimbabwe concluded a deal on Friday that will result in the revival of the moribund Bulawayo Power station by June 2010.

Energy ministers from the two countries met on Friday in Francistown, Botswana and agreed to work jointly to restore power generation at Bulawayo station.

The ministers agreed to address transmission constraints in the Zimbabwe power grid to facilitate increased power transfers through the country. The agreement was signed by cabinet minister, Ponatshego Kedikilwe for Botswana and his Zimbabwean counterpart Engineer Mudzuri.

A communique at the end of the meeting said the ministers resolved to create an enabling environment to facilitate closer cooperation between the two countries in the power sector.

Botswana and Zimbabwe are scheduled to sign an Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding by the end of next month.

The ministers meeting on Friday resolved that the two countries should identify energy projects to be developed. Such projects include the extension of the Beira-Harare fuel pipeline to Botswana and developing renewable energy. The shift is meant to improve energy security and access to clean energy in the two countries.

Kedikilwe and Mudzuri first met to discuss power problems in Maputo, Mozambique last April. At the Maputo meeting, the ministers directed their two national power bodies to develop short term intervention measures to address the supply and demand mismatch.

It was said that failure to address the mismatch will stifle social and economic development in the two countries.

By Staff reporter and agencies