Ayago Hydroelectric Power Station, also Ayago Power Station, is a planned 840 megawatt hydroelectric power project to be constructed in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. If it is built, Ayago would be the largest power station in Uganda, based on generating capacity.

Location

The power station will be located at Ayago, on the

Victoria Nile The White Nile ( ar, النيل الأبيض ') is a river in Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. The name comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. ...

, in

Nwoya District Nwoya District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most districts in Uganda, it is named after its main municipal, administrative and commercial center, Nwoya, the location of the district headquarters. Location Nwoya District is bordered by ...

, in the

Acholi sub-region The Acholi people (also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amuru, ...

, in the Northern Region of Uganda. This location is close to the point where the ''Ayago River'' enters the

, within the confines of

Murchison Falls National Park Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) is a national park in Uganda and managed by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. It is in north-western Uganda, spreading inland from the shores of Lake Albert (Africa), Lake Albert, around the Victoria Nile, up to ...

Overview

Ayago Power Station is a proposed hydroelectric power plant that will be constructed on the

, downstream of

Karuma Power Station The Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station is a 600 MW hydroelectric power project under construction in Uganda. When completed, it will be the largest power-generating installation in the country. Location The power station is located on the ...

, but upstream of

Murchison Falls Murchison Falls, also known as Kabalega Falls, is a waterfall at the apex of Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. At the top of Murchison Falls, the Nile forces its way through a gap in the rocks, only wide, and tumbles , before flowing ...

. The project will be developed in two simultaneous phases, known as Ayago North (estimated capacity:450 MW) and Ayago South (estimated capacity:390 MW). The Ayago Power Station is one of three hydropower projects that have been earmarked for immediate development, together with

(600 MW) and

Isimba Power Station Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power station commissioned on 21 March 2019 in Uganda. Construction of this dam began in April 2015 and was completed in January 2019. Commercial operations began on 21 March 2019. Locati ...

(183 MW), to mitigate the chronic, recalcitrant power shortages that have plagued

since the 1990s, and to meet the projected national requirement of 1,130 MW by 2023.

Construction costs

The Indian state-owned energy and manufacturing company,

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. ...

, had estimated the cost of the project at about US$350 million in 2007. But that was for a project with planned capacity of 200 MW to 300 MW, back in 2007. In 2008, the

Government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

, through the

Japan International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...

(

JICA The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...

), in collaboration with the

Government of Uganda Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is ...

, began new preparations for fresh environmental impact assessments, International bidding for a contractor and commitment as a lead funding source for the project. In April 2013, the

awarded the US$1.9 billion construction contract to Mapa Construction and Trading Company Incorporated, a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

infrastructure construction company. However, in August 2013, that award was rescinded and the construction contract was awarded to China Gezhouba Construction Company. It was anticipated that construction would begin in 2020, and last approximately 66 months.

Recent developments

By 2019, the size of Ayago Power Station had been increased from 600 to 840 megawatts. The

government of Uganda Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is ...

has publicly indicated that it would like the power station built, but it lacks the financial muscle to do so itself. Both ''Mapa Construction and Trade Company'' of Turkey and the

Gezhouba Group China Gezhouba Group Company Limited () is a Chinese construction and engineering company based in Wuhan, Hubei. As of 2014, the company is the 33rd largest contractor by revenue in the world. The major shareholder of the company (40.8%) is state ...

of China have lost interest in the project, partly due to failure to raise the necessary capital. In February 2020,

Power Construction Corporation of China Power Construction Corporation of China, branded as PowerChina, is a wholly State-owned company administered by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and part of the heavy and civil engineering construction industry. Pow ...

(PowerChina), a Chinese government-owned engineering and construction conglomerate made formal application to the

Electricity Regulatory Authority The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) is a government agency that regulates, licenses, and supervises the generation, transmission, distribution, sale, export, and importation of electrical energy in Uganda. Location The offices of the ERA ...

(ERA), to design, fund, build, operate and maintain Ayago Power Station. ERA's response to that application has not been made public as of September 2020. The cost of constructing Ayago has also increased to over US$2 billion, on account of the increase in wattage capacity, from the original 600 MW to the current 840 MW.

References

External links