Umeme’s under-construction switching station and plant house at Umeme’s Mbale sub-station Newly created Mbale city and surrounding areas will by end of this year have their power supply increased by more than three times, thanks to Umeme Limited’s $15.2 million (about Shs 55.7 billion) investment projects in the area.
Selestino Babungi, Umeme managing director, told media on a recent project tour that his company is investing significantly to meet existing and new demand but also to stabilize the power to industrial-grade quality to meet the city’s emerging industrial needs.
Accordingly, Umeme is spending $9.23 million (Shs 4 billion) on the Siti II project that among others involves a 125-kilometre 33kV single circuit double poles line evacuating power from the 16.5MW Siti II Hydro Power Project (HPP) on River Siti in Bukwo district to Mbale.
The line traverses six Local Government districts of Bukwo, Kween, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Sironko and Mbale. Works on the power line are 97 per cent complete.
Siti-II project also includes the construction of a switching station and plant house at Umeme’s Mbale existing sub-station to stabilize the 16.5MW for onward distribution to industrial, commercial and residential customers. The project also included the compensation of 3,242 project affected persons (PAPs).
According to Eng Job Watti, the Umeme project engineer, this project is scheduled for completion by August 31, 2020. Umeme will also spend $5.99 (Shs 22 billion) on the Tangshan Mbale industrial park project that includes a 75km Tororo-Mbale power line, carrying up to 25MW from Tororo’s UETCL substation to the Sino-Uganda Mbale industrial park in Mbale.
At Mbale, the power will be stabilized at the switching station and then distributed to industrial consumers via a new 10km power distribution network within the park. Both the switching station and distribution network are under construction and are scheduled for completion by the end of December 2020.
On completion, both projects will increase the Mbale Umeme district’s electricity supply by 205 per cent from the current 20MW to well over 61MW.
"The Mbale projects are one of our major investments for 2020 in support of government’s efforts to attract industries and jobs in the eastern region," Babungi said.
"Having been granted city status, we expect demand in Mbale city and the surrounding areas to grow considerably fast. Current demand is about 20MW but the industrial park alone is expected to consume 220MW of power at full capacity. In addition to the industrial park, there is a cement factory […]