The Uganda Energy Credit Capitalization Company (UECCC) has revealed that it is set to develop nine mini hydro power sites in hard-to-reach areas of western Uganda.
UECCC is a government-owned company under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, partnering with the government, the private sector, and development partners. The company aims to provide financing solutions and technical assistance for renewable energy development to increase access to modern energy services.
Roy Nyamutale Baguma, the Managing Director of UECCC, while speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development headquarters in Kampala on Tuesday, said that in 2017, the company mobilized 13.1 million Euros from the Netherlands, co-financed by the Ugandan government, for the development of the nine mini hydro power sites. These sites are located in areas with challenging topography and geophysical conditions.
Nyamutale also mentioned that the nine sites were selected in districts that include Mitooma, Bushenyi, Kabarole, Bunyangabu, Bundibugyo, Kasese, and Hoima. He added that the sites were chosen based on high social returns rather than commercial viability.
The project will have a distribution network of 288 kilometers, with 71,081 household connections and 2,300 small and medium enterprises that will be connected to electricity.
Furthermore, Nyamutale said the nine hydro power sites will generate 6.7 megawatts, which will be developed as a single project in two phases. The initial phase will involve the completion of four sites within a period of two years.
The UECCC, together with officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, will break ground for the project in Mitooma this weekend.
Currently, Uganda produces over 2,000 MW of electricity, but it is not enough to cover all parts of the country. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is now targeting to produce over 52,000 MW by 2050.