The Karuma Hydroelectric Station, the country’s largest power-generating infrastructure, will be ready for commissioning by September 2024, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. The construction of the 600MW power station in Kiryandongo District along the Nile began in December 2013.
From an original estimate of USD 1.7 billion, or around 6.323 trillion Shillings, the price has recently risen to 8.183 trillion Shillings. Karuma was expected to be completed in 2018, however the project experienced unprecedented delays and extensions.
Sidronious Okasaai Opolot, the state minister for Energy, emphasized that, while the dam was meant to be completed by 2019, it met hurdles such as vandalism and land acquisition, among others.
Four of the six units are presently fully operational and synced with the national grid, according to Okasaai. When the sixth unit is completed by the end of 2024, the hydroelectric project will be at its peak for 10 years, while the fourth unit is anticipated to be completed by the end of November.
According to Ministry Principal Energy Officer Eng. Emmanuel Sande Nsubuga, the completion of the Karuma Dam project would make it simpler to deliver power to fulfill the increased demand for 1 gigatonne of energy required by the many industrial players adjacent and along the transmission line.
Eng. Cecilia Nakiranda Menya, the Ministry’s Acting Director of Energy Resources, commented on the Karuma Power Project, noting that it is one of many ongoing generation facilities aimed at meeting the 52,000 MW of generation capacity required to fuel Uganda’s sustainable economic growth.
In November 2022, Parliament approved the government’s proposal to borrow up to US$331.5 million, or around 1.242 trillion Shillings, from the World Bank Group’s International Development Association (IDA) to support the country’s energy access scale-up project.
Once finished, the country’s installed capacity is expected to reach at least 2000 MW. In October, the government announced the Energy Policy 2023, which aims to increase access to energy for homes, refugee and host communities, industrial parks, commercial companies, and governmental institutions in order to promote socioeconomic development and support Uganda’s Vision 2040.
