Greater Kampala Power Upgrade Project Reaches 90.57% Completion

What the report says

Nile Post reports that the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project is 90.57% complete, with electricity officials saying the remaining work is intended to reduce grid congestion and improve supply reliability in Kampala and nearby areas. The update followed an inspection by Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited CEO Eng. Richard Matsiko and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited Acting Managing Director Eng. Joselynne Rwabwogo.

According to the report, the Maya (Buloba) 220/132/33kV substation has been finished, while work continues on re-conductoring key 132kV transmission lines and upgrading existing substations. The project also includes a new substation at Mukono, upgrades at Kawaala, Mutundwe and Bujagali, new transmission lines, and a mobile substation at Namungoona. UETCL is implementing the project, with works by a consortium of China Machinery Engineering Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation.

The project is financed through a JPY13 billion, about US$83.3 million, concessional loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency to the Government of Uganda, Nile Post reported. Officials said planned power interruptions are needed so engineers can carry out the remaining works safely, while acknowledging disruption to residents and businesses.

The development matters because the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area is Uganda’s biggest electricity-consuming region, and the report says demand is estimated to be rising by about 15% each year amid urbanisation, industrial growth and commercial expansion. Once complete, authorities expect the upgraded network to increase transmission capacity, lower the risk of major outages, support UEDCL’s plan to connect up to 300,000 customers annually, and serve economic infrastructure including the planned Buloba Pump Station linked to Uganda’s oil and gas programme.