Ministry of energy commended for achievements

 

Kivejinja said this during a late end of year and beginning of the New Year party for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. Power supply was briefly cut off during the party. Generators were quickly switched to enable the colourful dinner and dance party move on.

 

Kivejinja also the Minister of East African Community Affairs noted that despite the challenges the ministry experiences, he has the monitored the ministry and it has made commendable achievements. The function took place at Hotel Africana last week.

 

"I have witnessed there is progress in the petroleum, mineral and power generation sectors. The ministry has many partners unlike in the past. There are many women heading departments. The women have clear heads with no confusion," Kirunda said.

 

The prime minister underlined that the trend of raw materials and natural resources being shipped to Europe should stop. "Raw materials should be processed in Africa. Unless Africa participates in world events to find solutions, the world will remain poor. A few people in the world can't think for the whole the 7.7b world population," the minister noted.

 

He added that great producers of oil especially those in Africa have turned out to be the poorest countries in the world. "Oil exploration used to take 25 years. The explorers wanted to take everything without giving a fair share to the host countries. But Uganda has a fair Production Sharing Agreement where we expect to get 75% while the oil companies will get 25%," he said.

 

Highlighting on government policy, he said Uganda welcomes investors who are willing to help develop the country where there is a win-win strategy for the parties. "Africa has great natural resources and its future is bright. East Africa is united and moving forward. The partner states are no longer being suffocated in their small fields, now we have a big pitch of East Africa and Africa," Kirunda said.

 

 Tanzanian Minister of Works Housing and Human Settlement William Lukuvi, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Irene Muloni,Under Secretary Prisca Bonabantu  join the second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs Kirunda Kivejinja. (Photo  by Wilfred Sanya) 

 

 

Eng. Irene Muloni, minister for energy and mineral development said energy was critical for the development of an economy. Muloni said the government has now developed excess capacity to generate power.

 

"It is now the power network being worked, poles falling, wires falling. We have to restore the power network. The demand for power is fast growing. We have to have low cost energy solution to exceed demand. We need to fast track transmission and distribution network for power. We want to connect all Ugandans to power, we need to move fast," Muloni said.

 

The minister sai with increased power generation all big manufacturers are expected to pay five cents per kilowatt hour to lower their cost of energy.

 

The minister said the biggest challenge for the power infrastructure projects and projects in oil and gas was land acquisition. "Out projects are heavy in fiancé, long term, they need many years to mature and perform. They need patience. The struggle continues," Muloni said.

 

She noted that long procurement processes hamper projects. She urged the staff in the ministry to continue working hard to achieve the mandate set for them. The party was attended by a delegation from Tanzania discussing plans for building the crude oil pipeline between Hoima district in Uganda and Tanga Port in Tanzania.

 

 

 

Dr Medard Kalemani, minister for energy Tanzania said he had witnessed an important event in his life. "It is a lesson I have learned to organize an end of year party and to begin the new year together. He said Tanzania has plenty of gas which it is willing to sell to Uganda," Kalemani said

 

He added that Tanzania was also ready to buy Uganda's oil once production starts. Also present from Tanzania were Professor Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi, minister for justice and constitutional affairs William Vangimembe Lukuvi, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement, January Makamba,  Minister of State in the Vice President's Office Union Affairs and Environment, High commissioner of Tanzania to Uganda Grace A. Mgovano and four Permanent Secretaries.

 

The energy and mineral development sector has made significant progress towards the achievement of the National Development Objectives as spelt out in the National Development Plan and in the NRM manifesto, 2016 - 2021.

 

According to the ministry sector review report for 2018, in the power subsector, many electricity generation projects spearheaded by both the public and the private sector have been completed and commissioned while others are under implementation.

 

The report said Government is expanding the power transmission and distribution infrastructure through the construction of the transmission lines and the substation projects.

 

The potential of generating power from solar, wind and geothermal energy resources is being promoted. In the oil and gas sub-sector, the process of commercialisation of oil and gas resources is being undertaken with the issuance of production licenses and identification of the lead refinery investor; and the mineral investment promotion programme has attained steady progress with an increase in various oil reserves

 

 

Over the medium term, the sector will continue to implement the following priority areas: increase electricity generation capacity and expansion of the transmission and distribution networks. The ministry plans to increase access to modern energy services through rural electrification and renewable energy development.

 

They intend to promote and monitor petroleum exploration and development in order to increase the reserve base, develop petroleum refining, pipeline transportation, and bulk storage infrastructure, streamline petroleum supply and distribution.

 

The ministry will promote and regulate mineral exploration, development, production and value addition and inspect and regulate exploration and mining operations.

 

The other priorities include;  promotion of efficient use of energy and monitoring geo- tectonic disturbances and radioactive emissions.

 

The ministry states that it needs to overcome key challenges which include; land Acquisition for government projects, funding in general for energy and mineral development infrastructure projects, enhancement of capacity and supervision of inspection in the mineral sector and implementation of power projects.