ARUA | POWER | CONNECTION
        
After 19 years of private electricity distribution, the West Nile sub-region in Northern Uganda has been connected to the national grid.

The West Nile Rural Electrification Company began producing electricity in 2003 with two generators on a 23-kilometer line, and the problem of finding a source of power gave rise to the River Nyagak.

The West Nile districts currently receive 3.3 megawatts of the 3.5 megawatts that River Nyagak produces. Despite producing 8.5 megawatts, Electromax only transmits 6.5 megawatts.

However, the West Nile sub-region cannot use all of the electricity produced by the River Nyagak.

According to Jackson Atima Lee Buti, a member of parliament for Arua Central, the sub-power region's outages will be temporarily resolved by the emergency connection on the 33kv Olwiyo-Pakwach-Nebbi-Arua line.

If River Nyagak and Electromax are unable to create electricity, "this emergency power is an alternative connection that is supposed to stabilize supplies," He stated.

He said that the government's pledge to connect the West Nile to the national grid by October has been kept.

"On Thursday, the Olwiyo-Pakwach-Arua feeder passed through the lines that allowed for the energization. Last month, Moyo and Adjumani were connected via the 33kv feeder.

He praised the President, the Energy Ministry, and the Members of the Tenth Parliament for putting the NRM manifesto into action.

Atima requested that WENRECO address their issues so that the national grid could feed the area.

The focus in West Nile, according to parliamentarian Geofrey Feta of Ayivu East, is on reliable and consistent electricity for industry.

"The 160-megawatt line and the substations in Nebbi and Arua that we will receive in March next year are what we are anxiously anticipating," he said.

He said that doing so will help the area avoid gasoline shortages caused by Electromax's shutdown.