PAC Fumes Over Messy Solar Project

(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed grave frustration over the performance of the Ha-Ramarothole Phase 1 solar power project.

This follows the committee's site inspection on Monday, which revealed serious operational, technical, and environmental flaws in what was anticipated to be a flagship clean energy project.

The committee members were shocked to discover that instead of generating the promised 30 MW of electricity a day, the plant produces as little as 2 MW on some days, averaging around 22 MW.

It only reaches 28 MW at peak under optimal conditions.

“This project is a waste,” said committee member Dr Tšeliso Moroke after being told of the project's power performance.

The PAC also found that the plant operates only from 8 am to 5 pm with no backup battery system to store power for use after sundown, a fundamental flaw for any serious renewable energy project.

To add to its mounting woes, a severe environmental threat looms over the installation.

Heavy flooding has caused soil erosion between the solar panel arrays.

Locals have been hired under short-term contracts to control the erosion.

But officials warn that the entire multi-billion maloti investment is at risk of being washed away.

The committee was informed that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted before the construction started.

The EIA was only finalised when construction was in full swing.

As a result, the government has had to inject an additional M26 million to rehabilitate the site.

Project manager Sebajoa Tau acknowledged the plant's limitations.

“The 30MW capacity refers only to the panels on the ground and does not reflect what the grid actually receives,”

Tau told the committee members. Tau also revealed that the facility relies on a single transformer, with no backup and non-operational inverters, further limiting energy production.

Tau dismissed the proposed Phase 2 battery solution, which was expected to store electricity for seven hours after sunset, saying their own assessment indicates that the battery would last no more than 10 minutes.

He argued that the long-term solution for Lesotho should be hydropower, not solar.

On the environment, Tšolo Lesia, a contractor supervising erosion control on a six-month contract awarded in March 2025, told the committee that the soil at the site is highly unstable.

“This place is not suitable for such a project. The soil here is a duplex type that erodes easily from rain or wind. We tested it and it is weak,” Lesia said.

Lesia oversees a team of locals hired under the government's Fato-Fato (temporary job) programme to try to mitigate the erosion damage threatening the solar panels.

Nkheli Liphoto

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