Mitooma mini hydropower project to boost opportunities

MITOOMA - Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa says unreliable and expensive electricity has limited opportunities for businesses, schools, health facilities and households around the country.

Tayebwa made the remarks on February 2, 2025, during the breaking of the ground ceremony for the construction of Ncwera Mini Hydro-Power Project in Ruhinda North County, Mitooma district.

The project falls under the Electricity Access Scale-up Project being implemented by the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC), and will be funded under the ORIO Infrastructure Fund of the Netherlands.

Tayebwa, who doubles as the area representative, said the project will not only light homes but open up other opportunities.

“Farmers will be able to process their produce efficiently, small businesses will thrive, and our children will have better opportunities to study,” Tayebwa said.

He commended the energy ministry for taking key energy infrastructure to communities and called for continued collaboration to extend such initiatives to other areas in need.

Energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the project is in line with the presidential directive of providing affordable energy to support industrialisation that can spur socio-economic development.

“I am pleased to note that in the agreement that was signed, the tariff is 5.3 US cents per unit, which is good. We have been trying to reduce the cost of electricity and since hydropower is the cleanest source of energy, it is the cheapest,” Nankabirwa said.

Eliminate loadshedding

Mitooma District Woman MP Juliet Agasha called on the energy ministry to improve the electricity infrastructure in the district.

“We have two sub-counties that have electricity poles without electricity wires, which means people there do not have access to electricity. There has also been a lot of load shedding in the district, which has affected many businesses,” Agasha said.

Deputy ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda Joost Van Ettro commended Uganda for being a reliable partner with private investors who have supported the socio-economic and industrial development.

“With a growing need for energy in rural areas that have limited access to the grid network, we believe that these mini-hydropower plants will service communities and spur economic development through industrialisation, which will in turn increase employment and opportunities for the growing population,” Van Ettro said.

UECCC managing director Roy Nyamutale Baguma said besides Mitooma, the ORIO Mini Hydropower Project will implement eight other projects in six districts: Bushenyi, Kasese, Bundibugyo, Kabarole, Bunyangabo and Hoima.

He added that all the nine mini hydropower sites, after completion, will generate a combined capacity of 6.7MW and a distribution network of 288Km as a single project for rural electrification.

“The project sites are located in hard-to-reach areas with challenging topography and geophysical conditions, which makes it inefficient to wheel power over long distances to such very hard to reach places,” said Baguma.

He noted that the construction of the Ncwera project is expected to be completed within one year, and is designed to respond to government policies like the National Development Plan (NDPIV), Vision 2040 and Sustainable Development Plan 7.