Along the Nile River in northern Uganda lies the country's latest power-generating installation, a China-built station expected to boost the African country's hydropower by a margin of nearly half its current generation capacity.
Construction of the Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station started in 2013, and the facility obtained its project completion certificate this year.
"It is the biggest hydropower station in Uganda. When we came in 2013, we all understood that Uganda is a developing country, especially in the hydropower area, so after its completion, it will add almost 40 percent of the power capability," said Kou Zhibin, the commercial manager of the Sinohydro Corporation.
The power plant cost an estimated 1.7 billion U.S. dollars, of which 85 percent was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and 15 percent by the Ugandan government.
"China's financing focuses on how to better the technical mechanism to ensure the projects' own sustainability in their intended social economic benefits for upgrading local industries and improving people's livelihoods," said Zhang Lizhong, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda.
Uganda has an installed hydropower capacity of 1,510 megawatts. The government said that the potential increase to 2,000 megawatts will be critical in meeting the country's increasing demand for electricity.
"People are yearning. They have maize mills, coffee factories. Power is either not there or not enough, and they are using diesel generators yet we want clean energy," said Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, Ugandan Minister of Energy.
With the Ugandan government planning to scale up access and distribution of power to neighboring countries, progressive collaboration with China has shown promise for more energy infrastructure.
Uganda to boost energy production with completion of Chinese-built hydro plant
