Kakira Sugar Works to produce more power

By Ronald Kalyango

Kakira Sugar Works is targeting production of 50MW of electricity by June next year, Mayur Madhvani the managing director said last week.

“In December, we shall be generating 22MW meaning that we would be able to wire 10MW onto the national electricity grid,” said Madhvani.

He, however, said their total electricity supply to the national grid will rise to 30MW in June, when they finish installing the new boiler machine.

Madhvani made the revelation last week while taking the energy ministry permanent secretary, Kabagambe Kaliisa, on a tour of the sugar factory.

He informed Kabagambe Kaliisa who was accompanied by officials from the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) that their electricity production currently stands at 14 megawatts.

Madhvani said the project uses bagasse (sugarcane waste) to produce the 14MW, of which 6MW is sold to the main grid.

“We started producingpower from the sugarcane waste in 2005.

Over the years, we have established that this is so far the cheapest power source,” he said.

According to Eng. Godfrey Werikhe, the REA boss, Kakira was one of the companies which received funds under the electrifi cation for rural transformation to produce electricity through co-generation.

Kabagambe Kaliisa noted that the success of the cogeneration programme has been a result of the Government’s efforts to support the private sector initiatives in a bid to generate power.

Kakira got a $3.3m grant in 2008.

Madhvani explained that sugarcane is chopped into pieces and then moved into a series of crushing machines.

These are giant rollers which squeeze out juice.

“After production of sugar, the next consideration was how to utilise the waste fibre or bagasse.

The factory needs electricity and steam to run, both of which are generated using the fibre,” said Madhvani.

Bagasse is burnt in large boilers, producing heat.

The heat is used to boil water and make high pressure steam.

The high-pressure steam is then used to drive turbines in order to make electricity and rotate the mills.

Madhvani asked for an incentive to be given out to all sugar factories that are engaged in electricity generation.