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.

Location

The power station is located at the village of Isimba on the Victoria Nile, in Kamuli District. This is approximately , by road, north of the

Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station The Bujagali Power Station is a hydroelectric power station across the Victoria Nile that harnesses the energy of its namesake; the Bujagali Falls, in Uganda. Construction began in 2007 and concluded in 2012. It was officially inaugurated on ...

. The geographical coordinates of Isimba Power Station are: 00°46'18.0"N, 33°02'32.0"E (Latitude:0.771667; Longitude:33.042222).

Overview

The contract for a feasibility study and preparation of tender documents, worth US $3.8 million, was awarded to a consortium consisting of the engineering firms

Fichtner Fichtner, Fiechtner, or any variant thereof is a surname originating from areas where German is spoken. Groups of Fichtners helped to colonize the early United States, with the emergence of Fichtners into Pennsylvania in the mid-1760s. Fichtner ...

(lead) and Norplan. A local Ugandan company, Kagga & Partners, was a sub-consultant to the consortium. Initial planned capacity at Isimba was to be at least . In July 2013, Ugandan media reported that the construction contract had been awarded to the China International Water & Electric Corporation, a Chinese government-owned power company. The generation capacity had been increased to 183.2 megawatts. Construction was expected to last 34 months. In January 2018, following the expiry of their 40-month contract, ''Energy Infratech Private Limited'', from India, handed over to a new supervising engineering consortium. The consortium comprises ''Artelia EAU & Environment'' from France and local company ''KKATT Consult Limited''. Completion is now expected in August 2018. As of April 2018, according to the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited, the project was 86 percent complete, with total cost quoted at US$567.7 million. The most recent design includes a bridge on top of the power station that will span the Victoria Nile and provide another crossing across the river. However, the road over the dam was one lane instead of the two lanes in the design, and was deemed unusable. The contractor was instructed by the government of Uganda, to construct a public bridge, downstream of Isimba Dam, at a cost of USh24 billion (US$6.7 million). Work on the public bridge is expected to conclude in December 2020.

Construction costs

The total project cost was originally estimated at US $350 million. In 2008, the Ugandan government secured a loan from the Export-Import Bank of India to fund the construction. In April 2013, Ugandan print media reported that the government of India had extended a credit line worth US $450 million (about UGX:1.1 trillion) for construction of the dam. In July 2013, media reports indicated that the cost of the dam had risen to US $570 million (about UGX:1.4 trillion), funded by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. In March 2015, the Ugandan Parliament authorized the Ugandan government to borrow US$482.5 million (about UGX:1.4 trillion) from China Exim Bank at 2 percent annual interest repayable over 20 years, with a five-year grace period. Uganda will contribute the remaining US$107 million to the project, for a total cost of US$589.5 million. A new 132 kilovolt transmission line was constructed to evacuate the generated power and integrate it into the national grid at the Bujagali Power Station.

Funding

The table below illustrates the funding sources for the power station alone, without the related power line, road and other infrastructure.

Operations

The power station is operated by the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited, a government-owned electricity generating company.

References

External links

Isimba Dam changing the face of Kayunga, Kamuli

Isimba Hydropower Dam Is Second Chinese Power Project In Uganda During 2013

Chinese Firm To Build Uganda's Isimba Hydro-electric Dam

{{Kayunga District Power stations in Uganda Kamuli District Kayunga District Hydroelectric power stations in Uganda 2019 establishments in Uganda Energy infrastructure completed in 2019 Dams completed in 2019