Umeme has commenced construction of a 20 Megavolt Amperes (MVA) substation in Entebbe to deal with growing power demand.
The construction, undertaken by Giza Systems, an Egyptian firm, will cost $2m (Shs7b) with the substation housed on a piece of land that has been donated by Entebbe National Water Plant under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two government agencies.
Mr Johnson Okochi, the Umeme projects investment manager, said at the site handover and ground-breaking ceremony that construction will take five months to complete.
“All the critical equipment needed for the construction of the 20MVA is already in the country. Once complete, the investment will serve National Water Plant and Entebbe Township,” he said.
A team from National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) led by Mr Emmanuel Mujuni, handed over the site , which will also serve the Entebbe Water Treatment and Pumpage Station.
Mr Okochi noted that they are anticipate more developments in the area and the coming of the substation will address the load demand and power reliability in the Entebbe area.
Entebbe is a major business and commercial hub with key national investments among them Entebbe International Airport, which has a power demand of 5MVA following its expansion.
It is also a key entertainment centre and a major fishing and beach city.
The substation will also be key in stepping down voltage picked from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited supply lines to levels that are safe for domestic and commercial consumption.
Mr Mujuni said the new substation will guarantee stable supply supported by a recently upgraded systems with higher capacity.
Umeme, which is still negotiating renewal of its 20-year concession, has continued to invest in distribution infrastructure, building 69 substations and more than 44,000km of medium and low voltage network as well as installing 14,014 distribution transformers including 1.5 million metering points.
The investment, which totals to about $739m seeks to improve safety, quality, efficient and reliable supply.