Muzizi Hydroelectric Power Station

Muzizi Power Station
Map of Uganda showing the location of Muzizi Power Station
Country	Uganda
Location	Ndaiga, Hoima District
Coordinates
Status	Proposed
Dam and spillways
Impounds	River Muzizi
Reservoir
Normal elevation	900 m (3,000 ft)
Power station
Commission date	2019 (expected)
Type	Run-of-the-river
Turbines	8
Installed capacity	44.7 MW (59,900 hp)

Muzizi Power Station is a proposed 44.7 megawatts (59,900 hp) hydroelectric power project in Uganda.

Location

The power station is located across River Muzizi, which forms the border between Hoima District and Ntoroko District, close to the southeastern shores of Lake Albert, in the Western Region of Uganda. This location is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), by road, southwest of the town of Ndaiga, in Hoima District. The station is approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi), by road, west of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in that country.

Overview

As early as 1999, the site of the power station was identified by the government of Uganda as a potential mini-hydropower site. At the beginning, a 10 megawatt project was anticipated. Later, the planned capacity of the project was increased to 26 megawatts. In December 2010, bids for an environmental impact study, power station design, and cost estimation were solicited in the Ugandan media. More recently, the projected capacity has been increased to 44.7 megawatts.

History

Initially, construction was expected to start in 2015, with commissioning planned for 2018. More recently, the new projected start date is 2017, with commissioning planned in 2019. It is anticipated that the power generated at this power station will enter the national grid at a new substation, close to the power station, along a new 132 kV transmission line from Hoima to the Mputa area continuing to Fort Portal and on to Nkenda sub-station in Kasese.

Construction costs

In 2007, the construction cost was estimated at about US$30 million for a 10 megawatts (13,000 hp) project. The feasibility studies were funded by a €1.5 million grant from the German Development Bank (KfW) to the Government of Uganda. As of August 2015, the funding for the project breaks down as depicted in the table below:

Funding Sources for Muzizi Power Station

Rank	Funder	Amount in Euros	USh Equivalent	Percentage
1	Agence Française de Développement (AFD)	45 million	175 billion	64.3
2	Government of Uganda	21 million	82 billion	30.0
3	KfW	4 million	16 billion	5.7
	Total	70 million	273 billion	100.00

Recent developments

In 2014, it was reported that the scope of the project had been scaled up to 44.7 megawatts from the original 26 megawatts. Two interconnected dams, Muzizi A (26 megawatts) and Muzizi B (18.7 megawatts), are now proposed.

The developer was going to be the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL), a government parastatal, in partnership with a private investor. In February 2014, UEGCL applied to Uganda's Electricity Regulatory Authority for a license to generate up to 44.7 megawatts of power at Muzizi. Once the license was granted, the plan was for UEGCL to search for the investor and proceed with construction.

In May 2015, however, the Cabinet of Uganda decided to develop Muzizi without the private investor. Government resolved to borrow from the French Development Agency and KfW to fund the construction. The funds include the cost of building the high-voltage transmission lines that will evacuate the power to the point where it will be integrated into the national electricity grid.

In August 2015, UEGL, the implementing Uganda government agency, selected the consulting engineers, who will review feasibility studies that have been done by other companies, design the project and prepare tender documents for a fee of €3,959,771 (about Shs15.5 billion).

See also

• Uganda Power Stations
• Africa Power Stations
• World Power Stations

External links

• Environmental Impact Study For 132kV Power Lines From Kaiso-Tonya Thermal Power Station