Officials at the 600MW Karuma hydropower plant (HPP) have assured the country that the work is 98.8% complete.
The remarks were made as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa inspected the progress of works at the power station. On the visit, she was accompanied by Peter Aimat Lokeris, Minister of state for Minerals among others.
During the visit, Nankabirwa inspected the outpatient department structure and nurse’s houses at Dii-cuinyi Health Centre IV under construction as part of the project expected to be handed over in December, 2021.
“Upon completion, this plant will contribute greatly to the country’s total installed capacity and therefore we have to ensure we connect more Ugandans to the national grid,” Nankabirwa said.
Nankabirwa noted that the issue of vandalism of power lines is widespread and requires a multi-sectoral approach.
Nankabirwa who later attended a high level UN dialogue on energy, emphasized that accessibility and affordability of energy go hand in hand so there’s need for power tariff to be reduced to 6US cents.
The officials explained that the major ongoing works at the power station entail embedment concrete for the tracks of the maintenance crane and concrete for the pavement layer atop the dam block.
The station will evacuate power through 3 lines; Karuma-Olwiyo 400 Kv line to West Nile; Karuma-Kwando 400 Kv line to Kampala and the Karuma-Lira 132 Kv line.
The project estimated at $1.7 billion was launched by President Museveni in August 2013.
