On September 26, 2024 Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the Chinese-built 600 MW Karuma Hydropower Station and the 400 kV transmission line of the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo. Karuma is Uganda’s largest hydro-power plant and the second major Chinese-built hydro project in the country. Uganda joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018.
With all units of Karuma synchronized to the grid, Uganda will see a nearly 50 percent increase in its total installed power capacity from 1,278 MW to 1,878 MW, saving about 1.31 million tonnes of raw coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.48 million tonnes per year, providing a stable source of green energy for the country.
Construction by China’s state-owned engineering and construction company Sinohydro Corporation Limited started in 2013, employing more than 50,000 workers. Commercial operations commenced on June 12, 2024. China’s Exim Bank financed a $1.4 billion loan for the project, with the remaining costs being covered by the Ugandan government.
Uganda signed a memorandum of understanding with China and joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, and in 2019 commissioned a large Chinese built hydropower project – the 188 MW Isimba hydropower dam. That $500 million project was constructed by China International Water and Electric Corporation.
Karuma Hydropower Station is located on the Kyoga Nile, a tributary of the Nile River. The power station is owned and operated by the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL). The station has six vertical Francis turbine-generator units, each with a capacity of 100 MW.
More than 70% of the project’s structures were built underground to enhance resilience. Complexities relating to structural analysis and design, advanced engineering technologies, climatic considerations, deep excavations and tunnelling had to be addressed.
Most of Uganda’s electricity generation comes from hydroelectric power. The country is located at the source of the Nile River and is developing a number of run-of-river dams. Uganda has a goal of achieving 80% electricity access by 2040, with about 30% access rate currently.
According to the International Hydropower Association, 2 GW of hydropower was installed across the African continent in 2023.
Sources:
- Hydo Review, Sep 26, 2024. https://www.hydroreview.com/…/600-mw-karuma…/Science and Technology Daily
- Science and Technology Daily, Sep 02, 2024. https://www.stdaily.com/…/2024-09/02/content_218555.html
- Xinhua, Sep 27, 2024. https://english.news.cn/…/ae082d5c057d4a2ca86fca…/c.html
