Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station

Bujagali Dam
River Nile, 5 km (3 mi) downstream of Bujagali Dam.
Location of Bujagali Power Station Placement on map is approximate
Location	Bujagali, Uganda
Coordinates	00°27′02″N 33°11′09″E
Construction began	2007
Opening date	2012
Construction cost	US$800 million
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity dam
Impounds	River Nile
Power station
Commission date	2012
Type	Conventional
Turbines	5
Installed capacity	250 MW

Bujagali Power Station is a 250MW hydroelectric power project in Uganda.

Location

The power station is located across the Victoria Nile, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Jinja immediately north of the former location of Bujagali Falls. This location lies at the border between Buikwe District to the west and Jinja District to the east. The coordinates of the power station are:00 29 51N, 33 08 24E (Latitude:0.4975; Longitude:33.1400).

History

As far back as 2001, the Government of Uganda started to plan the construction of a hydroelectric power plant at the location of the Bujagali Falls. The original developers of the project included AES Energy from the United States and the Madhvani Group from Uganda. Due to prolonged and protracted objections from environmentalists inside and outside Uganda, the first project was abandoned in 2003 when AES Energy pulled out of the deal.

A new consortium of Sithe Global Power LLC], from the United States and Industrial Promotion Services, a division of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), was formed to develop the project. The new developers formed a company called Bujagali Energy Company Limited. Construction of the dam and powerhouse started in June 2007, with loans from the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank. Salini, an Italian construction company was selected to be the lead contractor on the project.

Construction costs

The estimated costs for the dam and power plant is approximately US$800 million. Another US$62 million was spent on building a high voltage transmission line from Jinja to Kawanda, near Kampala, a distance of about 100 kilometres (62 mi). The consortium that is constructing the power station invested approximately US$190 million of their own money into the project. The rest of the funds were borrowed from the following International lenders:

1. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group
2. The African Development Bank (AfDB)
3. The European Investment Bank (EIB)
4. The German Investment Corporation (DEG)
5. The German Development Bank (KfW)
6. PROPARCO of France
7. The French Development Agency (AFD) and
8. The Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)

Completion date

Completion of the project is expected in 2012, although partial power generation may start as early as 2011. In February 2011, the New Vision newspaper, Uganda's leading daily publication, reported that the first 50MW will become available in October 2011 and the subsequent 50MW additional units will become available every two to three months until the final addition in April 2012. In November 2011, the Daily Monitor, another Ugandan daily newspaper, reported that the first 50MW will be turned on in December 2011. On 02 February 2012, Ugandan newspapers reported the commissioning of the first turbine of the power station, with full commissioning expected in July 2012.

External links

• Uganda Turns On The First 50MW From Bujagali
• Bujagali Dam Near Completion
• Bujagali Will Be Ready In 2011
• Progress Report on Dam Construction February 2010
• Bujagali Energy Company Homepage
• AKFED Homepage
• Sithe Global Homepage
• Bujagali will double Uganda's Electric Output
• Construction at the Bujagali Power Station
• Google map of Bujagali Power Station
• Photo Showing Progress On Construction of Spillway

See also

• List of power stations in Uganda
• List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
• Nalubaale Power Station
• Kiira Power Station
• Njeru