Energy supply is expected to play a central role in the economic development of the Uganda. Energy is the engine for economic growth and development and a vital input into all the productive and social sectors of the economy.
Installed Capacity
The total installed capacity of electricity power plants increased by 1.2 percent from 885 MW in 2014 to 895.5 MW in 2015. This was due to a 19.4 percent increase in the installed capacity of Bagasse electricity from 54 MW in 2014 to 64.5 MW in 2015 as shown in Table 3.3.C and Figure 3.3.3 below.
| Table 3.3 C: Installed Electricity Capacity in MW | (2011-2015) | ||||||
| Plant Name | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Annual change | |
| Installed Capacity | 618.4 | 718.4 | 827.5 | 885.0 | 895.5 | 1.2% | |
| Hydro Electricity | 432.4 | 582.4 | 691.5 | 695.0 | 695.0 | 0.0% | |
| Kiira HPP | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | ||
| Nalubale HPP | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | ||
| Bujagali Energy Limited (BEL) | 150 | 250 | 250 | 250 | |||
| Kasese Cobalt (KCCL) | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | ||
| Kilembe Mines (KML) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Bugoye Tronder Power | 13 | 13 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | ||
| AEMS Mpanga | 18 | 18 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | ||
| Ishasha Ecopower | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | ||
| Kabalega Hydromax Buseruka | – | – | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | ||
| Nyagak** | 3.5 | 3.5 | |||||
| Thermal Electricity | 170 | 120 | 100 | 136 | 136 | 0.0% | |
| Lugogo | – | – | – | ||||
| Electromax | 20 | 20 | 50.0 | 86 | 86 | ||
| Aggreko II – Kiira | 50 | ||||||
| Jacobsen Plant – Namanve | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| IDA Plant – Mutundwe | 50 | 50 | 0 | ||||
| *Bagasse Electricity | 16 | 16 | 36 | 54 | 64.5 | 19.4% | |
| Kakira Sugar Limited | 12 | 12 | 32 | 50 | 50 | ||
| Kinyara Sugar Works Limited | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14.5 | ||
** – Off-grid generation Source: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development
Figure 3.3.3: Installed Electricity Capacity in MW (2011-2015)
Electricity generation
The national on grid electricity generated decreased by 0.1 percent from 3,464.5 GWh in 2014 to 3,460.4 GWh in 2015 as shown in Figure 3.3.4 below.
Figure 3.3.3: Total Units of Electricity Generated (GWh), 2011-2015
Figure 3.3.4: Electricity Generation by Company (GWh), 2011-2015
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||
| HYDRO GENERATORS Bujagali Electricity Company |
0.0 | 0.0 | 1,673.9 | 1,661.3 | 1,646.7 | ||
| Eskom (U) Limited | 1,361.8 | 1,293.1 | 1,263.4 | 1,229.9 | 1,303.4 | ||
| MINI HYDRO GENERATORS Aems-Mpanga |
67.3 | 78.8 | 101.2 | 81.8 | 76.7 | ||
| Kasese Cobalt Company Limited | 56.2 | 58.5 | 59.6 | 59.4 | 64.1 | ||
| Ecopower-Ishasha | 22.6 | 28.9 | 29.1 | 22.8 | 24.1 | ||
| Tronder-Power-Limited | 80.9 | 77.6 | 67.8 | 92.5 | 77.2 | ||
| Tibet Hima (U) Limited** | 28.6 | 27.5 | 19.2 | 27.6 | 24.5 | ||
| Hydromax** | 0.0 | 0.0 | 74.4 | 68.4 | 11.1 | ||
| THERMAL GENERATORS Electro-Maxx (U) Limited |
73.1 | 73.9 | 0.5 | 56.3 | 61.3 | ||
| Jacobsen (U) Limited*** | 399.2 | 153.5 | 1.6 | 37.0 | 12.3 | ||
| BAGASSE GENERATORS Kakira Sugar Works* |
58.1 | 85.3 | 116.4 | 127.6 | 161.3 | ||
| TOTAL | 2,147.7 | 1,877.0 | 3,407.3 | 3,464.5 | 3,462.7 | ||
| Annual change | -12.6% | 81.5% | 1.7% | -0.1% | |||
| Source: Electricity Regulatory Authority * Did not report for Q3-Q4, 2014 ** Delays in submission for Q2-Q4, 2015 *** Delays in submission for Q4, 2015 |
chase | ||||||
Number of customers
Figure 3.3.6 below shows that the total number of customers increased by 24 percent from 704,637 customers in 2014 to 872,836 customers in 2015. This was due to an increase in domestic customers by 24.6 percent, commercial customers by and industrial by 11.2 percent as shown below.
Total Number of Customers, 2011-2015
| YEAR | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Domestic | 429,831 | 456,248 | 540,694 | 640,025 | 797,205 |
| Commercial | 38,364 | 42,874 |
52,940
|
61,518 |
72,266 |
| Industrial | 2,020 | 2,263 | 2,528 | 2,746 | 3,054 |
| Street Lights | 327 | 369 | 359 | 348 | 311 |
| TOTAL | 470,542 | 501,754 | 596,521 |
704,637 |
872,836 |
| ANNUAL CHANGE | 6.6% | 18.9% | 18.1% | 23.9% |
Figure 3.3.6: Total Number of Electricity Customers, 2011-2015
Source: Electricity Regulatory Authority
It is important to note that the current levels of electricity supply cannot support heavy industries like steel mills, textile mills and aluminum processing plants. In order to attract heavy industries there is need for sufficient investment in the power generation sector. The early implementation of the proposed Karuma Hydropower Project which is expected to add up to 600 MW to the national grid will be a welcome development.
Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UECTL) have updated the East Africa Power Master Plan to reflect the estimated yearly growth in demand for
electricity which is about 10% percent per year. The projected peak demand will be as follows:
2015 783 MW
2020 1,219 MW
2025 1,910 MW