Umeme is on a mission of putting up another substation in some other parts of the country like Ishaka. PHOTO/FILE Power distributor, Umeme is constructing a switching station in Lyantonde District to improve supply in greater Masaka and Mbarara City.
The station, which, according to Mr Selestino Babungi, the Umeme managing director, is expected to be completed in June next year, will hasten detection of faults between Masaka and Mbarara since it is a midpoint between the two cities.
“It will also help keep the factories in production 24/7 by switching them from a faulty line to the one without,” he said, noting that large consumers, especially in the dairy sector such as Amos Dairies will have full-time power supply.
Mr Ram Kumar, the Amos Dairies factory manager, said it was important that Umeme provides stable power supply to enable them to operate without interruption, which has been a challenge in the last 10 years.
Umeme, according to Mr Babungi, is also putting up a Shs5b substation in Ishaka, which is interconnected with a transmission substation in Mbarara.
Mr Babungi, who was speaking during an on spot visit to consumers in western Uganda, said Umeme was assessing the level of service delivery with the desire to deliver and invest in reliable and stable power supply.
The visit included interactions with a number of consumers among them Amos Dairies, Sino Industrial Park, Global Village Tea, Kiko Tea and some of Umeme’s installations.
Mr Babungi said investments in power reliability was an integral aspect that will help Uganda in job creation, foreign direct investment and economic development.
He also noted that there was a link between Umeme’s investments, highlighting that western Uganda would become energy secure with installations such a substation in the Ishaka zone in addition to other investments such as Kibiito, Rugendabara and Hima switching stations.
Ms Caroline Atuhaire Twine, the Global Village Tea general manager in Ishaka, Bushenyi District, there was improved response to breakdowns because of the current stability in power supply.
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