Shs370b project to tackle power blackouts in Greater Kampala

Speaking last Friday at the ground-breaking ceremony in Buloba, Wakiso District, the UETCL Chief Executive Officer, Mr Joshua Karamagi, said the government received a $100m (about Shs370b) loan from the Japanese overseas development agency, JICA, for the project implemented by a consortium of Toyota Tsusho Corporation and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).

“The main objective of this project is to support the growing electricity demand in the Kampala Metropolitan Area, which has been experiencing intermittent power blackouts due to increased consumption,” he said.

Mr Karamagi said the largest chunk of the country’s 2,000 Megawatts (MW) generated power is mainly consumed in the selected districts, necessitating an an upgrade of the power setup.

“Over the years, the load of all substations in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) has almost reached its maximum transformation capacity and also current 132kV ring system will soon lack enough capacity for transmission of the power required within the medium term of 10 to 15 years,” he said, noting that the project design involves the construction of new substations at Buloba and Mukono, as well as upgrading the existing substations at Kawaala, Bujagali, and Mutundwe,” he said.

On average, Kampala consumes an estimated 643MW at peak, 617MW during shoulder hours and 486MW during off-peak. It is forecasted that by 2030, the power demand in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area will grow to more than 987MW. 

Currently, average demand for power across the country stands at 1,000 MW during peak hours.

“With this in mind, it was logical that the existing substations and transmission line capacities be upgraded, and in some cases new ones built to be able to cater for the anticipated power demand growth,” he added.

Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa noted that the upgrade project will add an extra 62km to the existing transmission grid in the Kampala Metropolitan Area to transmit an extra 1,320 MW targeting supply to households, commercial enterprises, industrial parks, public institutions such as schools and hospitals.

“To ensure sufficient electricity in the country, the Government of Uganda has developed a National Generation Strategy that targets to increase the generation capacity to 52,000MW by 2040,” she said.

“Over the past two decades, our total national installed generation capacity has increased from 380MW in 2005 to over 2,000MW in 2024, including the Karuma Hydropower Station, which will be commissioned by His Excellency, the President, on September 26,” Ms Nankabirwa added

The minister explained that to ensure that the power generated is evacuated and consumed, the government continues to expand the transmission and distribution infrastructure by constructing new power lines and substations while revamping the existing lines.

Currently, the transmission network has increased from 1,132km in 2005 to the current 4,962 km as of July 2024.

“This project is our first major infrastructure project in Uganda followed by our successful project track records in other African countries. It is a great opportunity to contribute to improving the power transmission system in Uganda,” Ms Qin Yuchi, the site manager of the consortium, said.