Page 9 - AfrElec Week 49 2022

AfrElec POLICY AfrElec

Ugandan MPs ask government to

explain persistent power outages

UGANDA UGANDA’S parliament has asked the govern- load shedding and said that a response to the
ment to explain the cause of a series of nation- matter will be given.
wide electricity blackouts. The Uganda Electricity Transmission Com-
In recent months, the government had pany Limited (UETCL) has not offered an expla-
warned that rising cases of the theft of power nation for the recent outages even as it continues
lines and other material, sold for scrap to issue alerts of isolated load shedding.
metal, would lead to rolling blackouts (load Uganda’s Parliament last month approved a
shedding) in various parts of the country. government request to borrow up to $331.5mn
In August, an emergency shutdown at the from the International Development Associ-
183MW Isimba dam led to power outages in sev- ation of the World Bank Group, upon which it
eral parts of Uganda, attributed to operational would obtain a grant worth $276.5mn, towards
errors that led to the station being flooded. financing the Electricity Access Scale Up Pro-
In 2020, severe power blackouts were attrib- ject (EASP), whose aim is to increase access to
uted to moving islands that blocked turbines electricity across the whole of the East African
at both the Owen Falls and Bujagali dams, major country.
sources of hydroelectric power. Presenting the loan request to Parliament, the
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has Minister of State for Planning, Amos Lugoloobi,
demanded a statement from the Minister of said the EASP envisages an increase in access to
Energy. Meanwhile, Minister of General Duties, electricity in Uganda from the current 19% to
Justine Kasule Lumumba, has apologized for the 44% by 2027.™

Week 49 07•December•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9