Eskom invests in Kiira dam water controllers
Eskom has been maintaining and operating the plant since 2003. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- The plant has an installed capacity of 200 megawatts with five units, each producing 40MW.
Eskom has replaced the water flow controller at Kiira Power Station in a Shs5b investment.
The system, which is also known as the electronic governor upgrade, controls the flow of water through the hydraulic turbines that vary flow, speed and power output.
The system had last been replaced in 2007 and had reached their end of operational life.
Ms Thozama Gangi, the Eskom Uganda managing director, while speaking at the project handover said the old governors had been replaced with digital governors to improve unit efficiency and reliability. Uganda had been experiencing persistent power outages with some of the causes pointing to old age of both machinery and equipment.
The new governors will have a lifecycle of 15 years with guaranteed technical, engineering and spares support.
Mr Andreas Pühringer, the project design engineer from Andrtiz Hydro GmbH, said he had been part of the team that had installed the first governors Nalubaale in 2007, noting they had installed two more controllers that will help to serve the increasing electricity demands as well as improving reliability of electricity supply.
The construction of Kiira Power Station began in 1993 and was completed in 2003. The plant has an installed capacity of 200 megawatts with five units, each producing 40MW.
Eskom has been maintaining and operating the plant since 2003 in a 20-year concession.
About kiira
Kiira Power Station has an installed capacity of 200MW with five units, each producing 40MW.
The dam is run by Eskom.
