Uganda's power consumption lower than what is generated

Apr 08, 2016

ERA expects 570mw in generation capacity from licensed companies to be available by 2018 and 647mw in 2019

The Electricity Regulatory Authority has urged government to initiate aggressive programs to address infrastructure constraints in the distribution and transmission of power.

Dr Benon Mutambi, chief executive officer Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) appeared on Thursday before Parliament's committee on natural resources to discuss the performance of the authority and budget proposals for 2016/17.

Eddie Kwizera (Bufumbira East) who chaired the committee said there was a lot of power being generated and not being consumed due to the poor distribution and inadequate transmission infrastructure.

Mutambi said the authority expects 570mw in generation capacity from the licensed companies to be available by 2018 and 647mw in 2019.

"This expected supply will require a significant investment in both distribution and transmission networks. The main challenge remains the availability of financing for these investments and the implications on the tariff if they are to be funded through the tariff. Furthermore the projected growth in supply is likely to exceed demand," Mutambi said.

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