Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development said that Karuma represents a major milestone in our national energy strategy and will significantly boost power generation capacity, enhance energy security, and support sustainable development
The 600 MW Karuma Hydropower Plant, has been commissioned.
President Yoweri Museveni
presided over the commissioning ceremony on Thursday. The
plant is seen as a strategic infrastructure project that will empower
communities, bolster the economy, and help Uganda achieve universal access to
electricity by 2030.
The plant, located in Karuma Town
Council, Kiryandongo District, features a 284-kilometre transmission line to Kawanda in Kampala, a
55-kilometre line to Olwiyo in Nwoya, and a 75-kilometre line to Lira City,
ensuring power distribution to key load centres nationwide.
"Karuma represents a major
milestone in our national energy strategy. It will significantly boost our
power generation capacity, enhance energy security, and support sustainable
development," said Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy
and Mineral Development.
Hydropower remains Uganda’s leading
source of energy, with a total potential of over 4,100 MW. The addition of
Karuma’s 600 MW increases Uganda’s generation capacity to 2,045.5 MW, far
exceeding the current peak demand of between 900 MW and 1,000 MW.
"Peak demand has surged from
257 MW in 2004 to 988 MW in 2024, driven by economic growth and expanded
electrification. Access to electricity has also grown significantly, from 5% in
2004 to 57% in 2023, a significant achievement in our rural electrification
efforts," noted Eng. Irene Pauline Bateebe.
Bateebe
highlighted Uganda's target of generating 52,000 MW by 2040 and the goal of
achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7—universal access to affordable,
reliable, sustainable, and modern energy. She emphasized that projects like
Karuma bring Uganda closer to realizing these targets.
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Joseph Oryem Lilly, the LC1
Chairperson of Karuma Central Ward, lauded the project for transforming the
lives of the local population and attracting development to the area. He noted
that the influx of new residents has boosted sectors like hospitality, creating
jobs and improving livelihoods.
However, Oryem expressed
disappointment over the lack of compensation for 125 landowners who contributed
land to the project 13 years ago. He urged the government to ensure these
landowners are fairly compensated and that roads are built to connect local
households to the power grid.
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Edith Aliguma Adyeri, Kiryandongo
District Chairperson, noted that land for resettling
affected families in neighbouring Nwoya District has already been acquired, but
the process stalled due to insufficient funds.
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The Karuma hydropower project displaced
3,735 people, including 280 landowners and 134 tenants. Since the
groundbreaking in 2013, Karuma Town Council has seen its population rise from
5,000 to over 20,000.
President Museveni traced Uganda’s
hydropower journey back to the inauguration of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954,
which laid the foundation for the country’s energy sector.
He says that subsequent projects
like the 200 MW Kiira Hydropower Station (2003) and the 183.2 MW Isimba
Hydropower Project (2019) have further boosted Uganda’s generation capacity.
"The Karuma Hydropower Project
is the latest and most ambitious step in our ongoing energy evolution,"
Museveni said.
In 2011, the Ugandan government
secured $1.4 billion (UGX 5.192 trillion) in funding from the Exim Bank of
China, contributing an additional $353 million (UGX 1.309 trillion) in
counterpart funding. The Karuma project, executed over 12 years by China’s
Sinohydro Corporation Ltd., cost a total of $1.688 billion (UGX 6.261
trillion).
As of July 2024, Uganda's total grid
length stands at 4,496.4 km, with 42 substations and a transformation capacity
of 6,945.5 MVA. Karuma is now the country’s largest power installation and
Africa’s largest underground power plant.
It serves as a cornerstone of Uganda's
broader development agenda under the National Development Plan III, which sees
energy as a key driver in transforming Uganda from a peasant economy to a
prosperous nation by 2050.
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and later Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.