Karuma Dam to be commissioned after nearly 13 years

After nearly 13 years, Karuma Dam will be commissioned next week, adding an additional 600 megawatts to Uganda’s energy bank.

While speaking at the UG Economic Forum 2024, Eng Irene Batebe, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said the additional power would be crucial in reducing the energy divide and powering key sectors like manufacturing and agriculture, among others.

Since December 2013, the construction of this 600 MW hydropower plant has been ongoing in Nwoya District. After delays in commissioning, the Ministry of Energy has now confirmed that Karuma Dam will be commissioned next week.

Eng Batebe, while officiating at the UG Economic Forum, stated that the long wait for the 600MW hydropower plant is finally over.

“We have grown our generation capacity from about 395MW in 2004 to 2,006.5 MW in 2024 as we prepare to commission Karuma next week,” she said.

Since the energy sector is the fulcrum of the economy and the grease that moves the wheels of the manufacturing sector, agriculture, science, technology, and innovation, it is believed that the additional 600 MW from Karuma will boost the country’s grid.

Batebe reiterated that the Ministry aims to provide universal access to electricity and access to clean cooking as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 7.

“We want to provide universal access to electricity and access to clean cooking as enshrined in our Sustainable Development Goal 7,” she added.

Denis Yekoyasi Kakembo noted that the bigger challenge, which is not unique to Uganda but also affects other countries, is the need for significant investment to drive this energy transition. Financing remains a major issue.

“By 2030, the goal is to achieve universal access to energy, meaning over 90% of Ugandans should have access to energy and clean cooking,” Kakembo stated.

Bravo Katungi, the CEO of *Barrel Magazine*, emphasised that government players should not leave this entirely to the private sector. He stressed that for Ugandans to equitably benefit from the oil and gas sector, their participation is essential.

The discussion then shifted to oil and gas, with experts explaining the linkages between the sector and other areas of the Ugandan economy.

However, civil society actors expressed concerns about the sector, including poor management of oil revenues and the Dutch disease.

Dr Arthur Bainomugisha, the executive director of ACODE, warned that oil money is highly corruptive, citing the negative impacts seen in countries like Gabon, Angola, and Nigeria before the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa.

In response, the Ministry of Finance assured that the regulatory framework around the sector, including national content laws and the petroleum fund, will be implemented in the best interests of Ugandans, ensuring public services like health, education, good roads, and electricity are financed using oil and gas revenues.

Moses Kaggwa, director of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, said that these goals can be achieved through partnerships between the private sector, civil society, and the government.