The commissioning of the Karuma Hydropower Station brought to completion a long-promised government delivery of a mega power plant that would come with benefits like increased access, stability and affordability.
The 600-megawatt plant, the largest in the country and second in the East African Community after the 2115 MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station in Tanzania.
Having increased the total installed generation capacity to about 2,200 megawatts, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has moved a step closer to the five-year plan of installing 3,500 by 2025, according to the Third National Development Plan.
“We are not done yet,” said Minister Ruth Nankabirwa about the high generation capacity, compared to the current consumption of about 1,000 megawatts.
The other plants include Isimba, Bujagali, Kiira, Nalubaale and a host of other smaller plants around the country, bringing the total to 39.
She said that they would by now actually be constructing another plant of similar or bigger capacity to cater for mid- and longer-term demand.
Currently, Uganda’s electricity access is about 53 percent, according to the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), with more than two thirds supplies by hydropower, and the rest by other sources like solar and bagasse (a sugarcane byproduct).
The ministry’s strategy in line with the national Vision 2040 has lined up several large scale and smaller power projects in its bid to meet the Vision 2040 target, which ERA says is 52,000 megawatts.
It sounds quite an ambitious plan, but the processes, including feasibility studies are already ongoing and some completed.
These include the 840 MW Ayago still on the Victoria Nile downstream of Karuma, with initial target completion date of 2030. It would be the largest in the country when completed.
Another mega one is the Oriang Hydropower Project also on the Victoria Nile, with a capacity of between 400 and 450 megawatts. Its completion date is yet to be determined as studies continue.
Further downstream on the Victoria Nile, which runs from Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert, is another one, the 390 MW Kiba Power Station. Its completion date is yet to be set, but in May this year, Power China expressed interest in taking on the project.
The ministry also is supporting about 20 more smaller hydropower stations both by the private sector and Public Private Partnerships with a total output capacity of about 145 megawatts.
More than 50 sites in different areas have also been identified as suitable for power plants. This are expected to total 210 MW capacity, with some already undergone preliminary studies, while permits have been issued for others for development.
Smaller projects that have been completed in recent include Bugoye, Mobuku 3, Mobuku 1, Mpanga, Ishasha, Buseruka, and Nyagak, with capacities ranging between 3 and 18 megawatts.
By the end of the Vision 2040, the ministry hopes that at about half (24,000 MW) of this electricity will be from nuclear technology.
The country and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June this year, completed the second review in two years of the country’s uranium programme, which was aimed at determining whether the country should start of the uranium exploration so as to have nuclear power by 2031.
It would start with a production capacity of 1,000 MW.
IAEA commended Uganda’s progress and commitment to international best practices when developing her nuclear power programs.
“While significant work remains to be done, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development now has a solid understanding of what is required to succeed in evaluation of the country’s uranium occurrences and the next steps needed to get there,” said Adrienne Hanly, IAEA’s Technical Lead for Uranium Resources and Production.
Hanly added that the potential discovery of a uranium deposit and subsequent development of uranium resources in Uganda presents an exciting opportunity for the country to support its ambition to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix.
The main challenge the industry faces is accessing electricity to the last consumer, mainly because of limited infrastructure and, relatedly, high tariffs.
There are about 2,270,758 customers connected to the grid.
The ministry say is set to reduce the overall weighted average generation Tariff, as it has a cost of 4.97 cents or about 180 shillings.
Currently, a household customer pays about 750 shillings per kilowatt hour, which is un affordable by most Ugandans.
ERA says that tariff reduction is their main goal and this is expected to be achieved as more plants are commissioned but also as more people get connected so as to reduce the cost per unit.
To ensure greater reach of the network and enable more connections, the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL) has launched a 370-billion-shilling project to upgrade power infrastructure in Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and Mpigi Districts.
The two-year project is expected to be completed by 2026, followed by a two-year “Defects Liability Period” to enable fix any technical issues.
The electricity transmission network is currently estimated at 4,633 km, while the distribution network has a combined length of 68,311 km, according to ERA.
The government is also finalizing plans to being on private investors into the transmission business which will also ease the burden of getting financial resources for the projects.
ERA says that to achieve the targets, at least 22.5 billion dollars or about 9.2 trillion shillings is required for the transmission projects over the next seven years.