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Gambia River will have a generating capacity power against subsidised prices charged to Uganda currently generates 1,200MW with
of 128MW and will improve farmland consumers were unsustainable. local demand of only 600MW, which creates a
irrigation and supplying drinking water for “We are talking to IPPs to strike a balance surplus of close to 600MW.
surrounding districts. The reservoir it will so that they can sell power to Zesco at cost- The country is expected to add another
create extends into Guinea. reflective tariffs and ultimately benefit the 300MW with the completion of Karuma
The contract signing followed an 18-month people of Zambia and the export market,” he Hydro Power Dam, whose launch has been
phase of studies and preparations. said. delayed due to defects detected by Uganda
Vinci said work will begin in the first half Zesco MD Mr Victor Mundende said the Electricity Distribution Company Limited, the
of 2021 and is scheduled to last 48 months. At utility targeted becoming a major regional project supervisor.
its peak, the project will employ 1,000 people electricity sector player by 2025. The interconnection to South Sudan,
recruited and trained locally. according to set to UETCL, which will allow
Once complete, worksite buildings will Uganda to export electricity to another East
be donated to schools. In addition, engineers African country, is expected to be completed
from the consortium will teach classes at the GRID next year.
Kédougou technical high school in Senegal. Uganda currently exports electricity to
The electricity generated by the dam will be Uganda to extend power Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and parts of eastern
injected into the grids of the four participating DR Congo.
countries, for which Vinci will install several supply to South Sudan During the same meeting, Paul Mwesiga,
hundred kilometres of high voltage lines. the UEDCL executive director, government
The consortium is composed 75% of Vinci The Ugandan government is working on plans to connect 6.4mn households on
subsidiaries and 25% of Andritz, an Austrian an interconnection to export electricity to the national grid through public private
turbine manufacturer. South Sudan, according to Uganda Electricity partnerships.
Transmission Company Limited (UETCL). The connections are expected to cost close
The Interconnection, UETCL managing to $ 6.5b as part of government’s agenda to
Kafue Gorge to lower director Valentine Katabira said, is part of the extend power connection, especially to rural
agenda to create a regional electricity sharing
areas.
Zambia electricity costs platform through which the East African of connecting this 6.4mn households before
“In order to do achieve government’s target
Community would achieve stable power
The Kafue Gorge (Lower) Hydro Power supply. completion of the 2020/21 financial year,
Station will dilute the cost profile of electricity Speaking during an electricity forum we need to embark on sustainable financing
in Zambia and make it cheaper for consumers, organised by Ministry of Energy, Mr Katabira through public-private partnerships,” he
an official has said. said: “The interconnection with South Sudan said, noting that it was important that more
In an interview with The Southern Times is in line with the East African Community households are connected in order to have a
Business at last week’s pre-commissioning of policy of connecting each country to have reduction in tariffs.
the 750MW plant, Zambia Electricity Supply power sharing grid for better supply.” Eng Ziria Tibalwa Waako, the Electricity
Company (Zesco) director of commercial and Countries within the EAC bloc established Regulatory Authority chief executive officer
customer services, Mr Chiti Mataka, said the a collaborative effort under the Eastern Africa said, the current electricity surplus gives
country could generate as much as 6,000MW. Power Pool in which partner states within the Uganda an opportunity to enjoy a reduction
Zambia presently has installed capacity of region interconnect their electricity grids to in power tariffs from the current 12.5 US cents
2,800MW. take advantage of excess capacity within the to 3 US cents.
Actual generation is 1,490MW against network. “The country is on a clear path to reduce
demand of 2,300MW. The move seeks to help countries with electricity tariffs from 12.5 US cents to 3 US
This has seen Zesco augmenting supplies insufficient capacity to access the excess power cents,” she said.
by buying electricity from independent power elsewhere at a relatively affordable cost.
producers (IPPs) at a cost of US$0.11 cents
per kilowatt hour, well above the subsidised
US$0.06 that the utility charges consumers.
Mr Mataka said the US$2,4 billion Kafue
Station – which will be commissioned in five
phases of 150MW each from December 2020
to March 2021 – would positively affect the
cost profile.
“This investment in infrastructure like
Kafue Gorge Lower and other projects will
be a dilution of (IPPs) impact on the cost
profile. More of such new plants will in turn
encourage new foreign investment in the
energy sector,” he said.
Energy infrastructure under construction
or at planning stage could add 3,600MW to
the national grid.
At the Kafue pre-commissioning, Energy
Minister Mathew Nkhuwa said high costs of

Week 49 10•December•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P15