Page 20 - EPSI Magazine Issue 8 final 2018.indd

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of 4%. The current rate of new connections is a mere c) Stimulating Energy Consumption on the Grid
100,000 and the population growth rate higher than
the 4.0%. And Ministry of Energy projections indicate Government must proactively wean the
that 3.17 million households will be connected via communities off biomass especially for cooking
the off-grid proposals promoted by the Rural Elec- starting with urban and peri-urban areas. Elec-
trification Agency, while another 3.95 million will be tricity efficient cookers must be promoted and
connected through grid extension and user densifi- supply lines for them set up with government
cation. intervention as anything else will eventually
The government’s Electricity Connection Policy contribute to environment degradation. There
approved in August 2018 by Cabinet, seeks to bring was a time when households were actively en-
electricity to individual homesteads for free provid- couraged to use electricity for cooking and oth-
ed the owner can do internal house wiring or accept er domestic chores through incentives. There
on-board connected supply. Unless this initiative is are countries that have adopted this and it has
augmented by other government action, is doomed increased their match to universal access while
to fail like others before. Both the first and second protecting their environments.
versions of Energy for Rural Transformation failed not
for lack of funds (which were corruptly misused) but Government must take lead in dealing with
because electricity and cook stoves by themselves electricity prices, through cheaper installations
do not significantly change communities. of the supply lines but also by dealing with the
rather high cost of generation.
In countries where near universal modern ener-
gy access has been achieved, electricity access was The price of re-negotiating the current “take
part of a more holistic programme including initia- or pay” power purchase agreements entered
tives in economic empowerment and targeting pro- into when attracting investments in generation
ductive use in cottage industries and enhanced com- was crucial, will mitigate the higher cost in envi-
munity based commercial activities. The following ronmental damage.
suggestions might be worth examining if we are to
conserve the environment in Uganda:

a) Expansion of the Grid Network

The expansion of the grid network cannot be
left in the hands of the costly private sector. It might
be prudent to exploit the provisions of the coun-
try’s Public Private Partnership Act to engage private
sector including Umeme Uganda Limited in a more
elaborate grid extension to the households. Umeme
alone has neither the capital required nor the ap-
petite to invest long term in the currently unserved By Dr. Frank B. Sebbowa
communities. Even if it had the cost involved would
be way too high for sustainability of the programme.

b) Development of the Intermediate Off-Grid Supply

The short to medium term for unserved commu-
nities would be developing off-grid supply systems
with serious productive use appendages. This way
one raises the community livelihoods to consume
grid electricity with less likelihood of early discon-
nections when it eventually arrives.