At last, West Nile subregion is about to smile after spending 109 years crying for reliable power but in vain!
Local leaders in the subregion had even threatened to secede from Uganda which they joined in 1914 and form what they called The Nile Republic on grounds of mistreatment by all governments.
However, their cries for reliable electricity is soon becoming history, courtesy of an industrious lady; Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako who’s the Chief Executive Officer of Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA). With a supportive board chaired by Dr. Sarah Wasagali Kanaabi, ERA has made inroads into the hitherto ‘neglected’ area including that of Northern Uganda with a miraculous electricity master plan that has left leaders in both regions praising the electricity regulator!
It should be recalled that president Museveni recently awarded a prestigious medal to Eng. Ziria in recognition of her outstanding performance in the Electricity sector. The president was mindful of the fact that the highly innovative lady from Busoga had indeed made wonders as witnessed in the various fronts the government is making to generate enough power for production and home use.
From Geothermal to Hydro and Solar power among other sources of energy, the country now boosts of 54 power generation sources using various technologies.
According to the chairperson of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee of Parliament Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, government in the midterm, is looking at generating a total of 52000 megawatts.
He revealed this during a tour in which legislators on his committee alongside ERA visited various power generation plants in the North and eastern as part of their oversight role.
“I thank the committee for always finding time to be with ERA in the field in terms of oversight for Electricity Supply Industry” says Dr. Wasagali during a tour of Kakira Sugar Limited power plant.
This plant was licensed to generate 50MW of which they consume 20MW and supply 30MW to the National grid.
Unfortunately, KSL is now almost running out of this business due to lack of raw materials in form of Sugarcane. It is these canes that produce bagasse which is used to generate the 50MW!
“We need raw materials. We need bagasse and we get it from sugarcane. We (currently) have less sugarcane in the area. What we’re doing now, is far below our capacity” says Salim Kalibusi, the deputy electrical engineering manager.
The company’s Director of Operations, Christian Vincke, attributes this sugarcane/bagasse scarcity to what he says total lack of a regulation on the sugar industry.
“There’s no policy on location of sugar factories. Please members help us. We need a policy on location of sugar factories. Uganda is a big country, why fix factories near each other? I am disappointed Uganda is going a wrong direction” he said, although Otaala said a Sugar Bill is already before the trade and Industry committee.
In Mayuge particularly Bufulubi, is a big Solar power generating plant. Here, Solar panels were erected on a 100-acre piece of land to receive the sun and convert sunshine into electricity. A total of 10MWs are got from here according to it’s manager Micheal Mukasa although this varies depending on weather since the sun is their source/raw material.
“Last month, we had the lowest generation. The drops are always there but we do our best. I thank ERA for their guided leadership because with that, we have been able to get results” he says. All this power goes to the national grid which West Nile has been clamouring for!
SOLVING THE WEST NILE QUESTION
Thanks to ERA, a wind of fortune has finally blown their way as power is finally here with them.
The area leaders have always cried that they will only be sure of having reliable power when they are joined to the national grid, a cry that has ably been answered by Ziria and her team.
As we talk, Kole substation which is going to act as an interconnection point for the various substations, is at 90% completion.
The substation brings together Agago, Gulu, Achwa, Karuma, Oliyo, Arua, Nebbi, Lira and Jinja substations. The purpose of this substation is to interlink with the rest of the grid, meaning; in case there’s a failure at Lira substation for example, it (Kole) can pick power from Achwa, Karuma, Gulu or any other substation in order to keep West Nile and Northern Uganda on steady power supply.
“That means the reliability of supply is guaranteed 24/7. With Kole, there’s flexibility of supplying power to West Nile. The substation is critical because it’s the gateway to West Nile. I can authoritatively state that, government’s promise of providing reliable power to West Nile and Northern Uganda is being fulfilled” declared an excited Eng. Ziria adding that Kole is also good for ERA to evacuate the dimmed energy at Achwa Hydro Power Plant and Agago plant.
At Achwa which has two plants one producing 19MW and another 21MW, government has been paying USD24million per anum for unused energy according to Dr. Wasagali. But with an evacuation line now in place having been commissioned in November, beginning this December, all this money in dimmed energy costs has been saved by ERA!
“Effective December this year, we’re not going to pay. It’s a big relief because since 2019, we’ve been paying. We’re no longer paying for (this) unused energy” says Wasagali during MPs’ tour of the Plant on Wednesday.
The news of Kole substation being the game changer, has left leaders in northern and West Nile wearing smiles on their faces praising ERA for the job well done.
Ayivu division-North MP Geoffrey Fetta, described the Kole initiative as great news.
“It’s good news for us as West Nilers. From 1914 when we joined Uganda, we have been asking for reliable power. As an MP, I appreciate ERA for this effort” he said.
His counterpart Betty Aol Ochan, the woman MP for Gulu City, is equally happy.
“This is a very good development for us especially the business community. They have been complaining of power outages. It’s been frustrating them. Some had started running away to Lira because there, power is reliable. This power is a blessing to the people of Gulu” she said.
As for Nebbi woman MP Agnes Acibu, the availability of reliable power is going to boost business.
“Nebbi, we’re rich in land and food. But we need power to add value. Our people are crying for power. I am happy with the progress so far” she said.
However, even as ERA does all what it takes to connect West Nile to the grid, some of the locals especially those of Nyaravur sub-county are said to be blocking the Nebbi Substation Power Line on grounds that they haven’t been fully compensated. Ever on the ground, Eng. Ziria has now directed Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited to make a brief to the authority on the progress of compensation so that any challenges being faced can be sorted.
“All along, complaints have been about the contractor’s delay. This time, it is the Project Affected Persons who have blocked the line. We shall ask the UETCL to make a report to us so that we know the challenges and have them sorted” she said.
