Kanungu Power Station is a

run-of-the-river hydroelectric Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amo ...

power station on the

Ishasha River The Ishasha is a river in southwest Uganda, forming part of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It runs from its source north of Kabale to its mouth at Lake Edward. Its length is very roughly ignoring the many small meanders. ...

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 ...

. The station is sometimes referred to as the ''Ishasha Power Station''.

Location

The power station is in the Kanyantorogo sub-county of

Kanungu District Kanungu District is a district in the Western Region of Uganda. The town of Kanungu is the site of the district headquarters. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Kanungu District is among the sites shown in aerial footage in the movie Black Pant ...

in southwestern Uganda, about by road from the district headquarters in the town of

Kanungu Kanungu is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the location of the district headquarters for Kanungu District. Location Kanungu is located approximately , on a winding dirt road, southwest of the town of Rukungiri, the nearest large ...

, although the straight air distance is only about . The geographical coordinates of the power station are: 0°52'53.0"S, 29°40'14.0"E (Latitude:-0.881389; Longitude:29.670556). The dam and

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

on the Ishasha River are downstream from the boundary of the

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) is in southwestern Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge o ...

. A

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. H ...

takes water downstream to the twin-

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The proces ...

power station, for a rated head of . A

tailrace A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...

then takes water from the power station and returns it to the Ishasha River. Provision has been made for an open-pipe flow of 250 liters per second into the section of the river between the dam and the tailrace to ensure that local fish species are not adversely affected. A , 33 kiloVolt transmission line connects the power station to the national grid.

History

The power station was constructed by Eco Power Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Eco Power Holdings Limited of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Construction was completed in March 2011. The power plant was technically commissioned on 18 March 2011. Political commissioning was performed on 22 November 2011. The plant is expected to support development of industries and stimulate other areas of investment in Kanungu and the surrounding rural areas, including parts of the neighboring

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Construction costs

The estimated cost of the dam and power plant is approximately UGX:40 billion (about US$14 million). Funding was provided by three

n financial institutions: National Development Bank of Sri Lanka,

Hatton National Bank Hatton National Bank PLC (commonly abbreviated as HNB) is a private bank in Sri Lanka with 255 branches and 794 ATMs. The bank traces its origin to 1888 when Hatton Bank commenced its operations in Hatton, Sri Lanka. See also * List of banks in ...

, and Commercial Bank of Sri Lanka.

References

External links

Uganda: East Africa’s hydro powerhouse
As at 10 March 2017.
Completed Kanungu Dam and Power Plant
{{Kanungu District, state=collapsed Dams completed in 2011 Energy infrastructure completed in 2011 Dams in Uganda Hydroelectric power stations in Uganda Kanungu District