WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

1.1.11 Uganda
Eva Maate Tusiime, Newplan Ltd., Uganda
Key facts
Population 33,640,833 1
Area 241,000 km 2
Climate Tropical; generally rainy with two dry
seasons (December to February, June
to August); semiarid in northeast.
Topography Mostly plateau with rim of mountains 1
Rain Pattern Uganda receives most of its rain
between March and June, with rainfall
of more than 500 mm during this
season. 2
Electricity sector overview
Uganda’s electrification access of 6 per cent (or 9 per
cent according to the World Energy Outlook 2011) is the
lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and the world. 3 In the rural
areas, the access drops to 2 per cent with Northern and
North-eastern Uganda registering the lowest
electrification rates. Another estimated 1 per cent of the
population uses fuel generator sets, car batteries and
solar photovoltaic systems for lighting. 4
Electricity access is a major requirement for
development, and electricity demand in Uganda is high
for industrial and domestic use. However, the demand
for power is more than the generation capacity, which is
dominated by hydropower (figure 1). Much of the
electricity transmission network at present is poorly
maintained and the country experiences frequent
power cuts (load shedding).
Co-generation
Thermal
Hydropower
3.47%
41.69%
54.84%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Uganda
Source: Electricity Regulatory Authority 5
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
A number of small hydropower plants with a combined
capacity of just over 50 MW are in operation in various
parts of the country as shown in table 1 (please note
two plants included have capacities above 10 MW). The
country definitions of small hydropower is less than 10
MW, mini is defined at 1 MW and micro at 0.1 MW.
However, there has been very little small hydropower
development in Uganda. In the past, approximately 8
MW has been developed at four sites by the then
Uganda Electricity Board, who later developed two sites
and private developers who built another two. These
sites were Mubuku I (5 MW), Maziba I (1 MW), Kisizi
(0.075 NIW) and the 1.25 MW Kikagati station (which
has now been decommissioned). The Maziba
hydropower plant was also shut down in 2001 due to
siltation problems. Plans are underway to rehabilitate
this power plant.
Uganda has considerable potential for hydropower
development, estimated at over 2,500 MW located
mainly on the Nile River. Other Non-Nile River sites with
potential capacities ranging between 0.5 and up to 5
MW are scattered throughout the country with
potential for mini- and micro-hydropower development.
To date less than 10 per cent of this potential has been
developed.
SHP installed capacity
SHP potential
22.4 MW
210 MW
0 50 100 150 200 250
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities up to 10 MW in
Uganda
Source: Electricity Regulatory Authority 6
A number of small hydropower sites with a total
potential of about 210 MW (figure 2) have been
identified through different studies. The level of the
studies is uneven, with some sites having been studied
to feasibility stage. Small hydropower sites under
construction are shown in table 2 and potential small
hydropower sites for development in table 3.
Recent developments in the sector have seen other
small hydropower plants being developed mainly by the
private sector (table 1). In addition, Uganda’s Electricity
Regulatory Authority (ERA) has issued a number of
permits and licences for generation of electricity from
small hydropower projects, which are at various stages
of development.
The Uganda Constitution of 1995 has provisions for
enhancing conservation and management of the
environment and natural resources. The National
Environment Act (NEA), Cap. 153, mandates the
National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
as ‘the principal Agency in Uganda responsible for the
management of the environment by coordinating,
monitoring, regulating, and supervising all activities in
the field of environment’. 9
50