UETCL inks Shs357b deal to upgrade substations
Electricity transmission lines. Government through UETCL, has signed a contract with Consortium of Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
Currently, some suburbs are facing intermittent power blackouts due to a rise in electricity consumption.
Rising electricity demand has pushed Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) to upgrade transmission lines in the greater Kampala Metropolitan area.
Currently, some suburbs in Najjera, Kiira, Buwaate, Kungu and Bulindo are facing intermittent power blackouts due to a rise in electricity consumption on the back of growing populations.
Government through UETCL, has signed a contract with the Consortium of Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for the construction of the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project which will build new substations, transmission lines and increase the capacity of existing ones to cater to the growing demand in the greater Kampala Metropolitan area.
UETCL reveals that come 2025, power black outs will be a thing of the past as the Kampala Metropolitan area will undergo a power infrastructure upgrade that is expected to reduce load shedding and ease electricity access for more consumers.
The electricity transmission company received a Shs357 billion (Japanese Yen 13,659,000,000) credit line from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement this.
To avert this dilemma, Mr Joshua Karamagi, the chief executive officer at UETCL, reveals that UETCL signed an agreement with the consortium of Toyota Tsusho Corporation and China machinery engineering corporation, in August for the Kampala metropolitan transmission system improvement project, which will include the construction of new substations, and transmission lines and increase the capacity of existing ones and to cater for growing electricity demand in the Kampala metropolitan area.
Mr Karamagi notes that the two-year project will completed in 2025 and this will be followed by a two year Defects Liability Period.
According to officials, the necessary procedures are being followed to ensure project affected persons are catered for.
“We have had a resettlement action plan around this project which has been ongoing. There are residue issues related to that which we are handling including resettling people,” Mr Karamagi says.
