Uganda has an estimated 400MW of untapped
geothermal energy. Kabaale, Hoima and Kasese districts in western Uganda, where
the Great Rift Valley and escarpment are located, have the greatest potential
for generating geothermal energy.
Earlier this year, government, through Uganda
Electricity Transmission Company, signed
a power purchase agreement with AEE systems an American based firm, in joint venture with local company,
Katwe Geothermal, to start the
exploitation of geothermal energy in Kasese district. This was a remarkable
step in terms of diversifying Uganda’s electricity sector.
Currently, Uganda mostly relies on hydro- power with current generation
capacity at 800mw. However,
climate change impacts such as droughts and erratic rainfall have made
hydro-power unreliable, reducing the country’s adaptive capacity. Hydropower dams in Uganda have
continuously produced less power than initially projected capacity. For instance,
Owen Falls currently produces 74MW instead of planned 180mw and Kiira dam
produces 50mw instead of the planned 200mw.
In turn, this has seen Uganda’s electricity demand rise above its supply
electricity tariffs have more than doubled over the past five years, load
shedding is the order of the day and electrification rates are still low. Also,
Transmission from major generation points, like Bujagali in Buikwe district, to
other parts of the country mean higher costs and greater risk of energy loss.
All these problems necessitate dedicating efforts to geothermal energy
development to diversify Uganda’s electricity sector.
Geothermal has numerous advantages over other energy sources .geothermal
energy is at the forefront of low-carbon options as its green energy with no adverse effects
on the environment, it is not
affected by drought and climatic variability. This makes geothermal the most
suitable source for electricity generation in the country.
In the meantime, our neighbours in Kenya boast of having the biggest
geothermal plant in East Africa. Olkaria geothermal plant cost Kenya
$1.6billion to put up but the country has ripped in terms of lower operation
costs and increased generation of electricity. The plant supplies 167 MW of
electricity, enough to serve 500,000 households. By 2030, the plant is expected
to supply 7000 MW.
Yet, it was not all smooth for Kenya. Olkaria was built in the 1980s, at a
time when Kenya’s hydro electricity supply was being threatened by severe
drought and the Country’s power rationing stood at 70%. The project stalled in
1992 and was only revived in 2003 when the government took initiative to
exploit geothermal potential. Kenya’s
geothermal project is a model other African countries can learn from and
transform the lives of the common man and woman.
Today, in terms of geothermal energy, Uganda is where Kenya was nearly
three decades ago. It does not help that the history of investment in the
energy sector in Uganda is mired with corruption and lack of transparency. The
recent Karuma dam project was clouded by inflated costs, unfair resettlement
policies and unexplained delays. The complicated political-economic investment
climate in Uganda, coupled with high initial set up costs, discourages any
would-be investors in geothermal energy.
A few efforts have been geared towards solar energy and even fewer to
wind energy. Both efforts are remarkable but, like geothermal energy, they have
failed to hold the government’s interest. Intensive efforts in investing in
geothermal energy, alongside other sources are needed to increase electricity generation, boost
supply and meet the ever growing electricity demand. This will secure and sustain Uganda’s
electricity sector.
Diana Taremwa Karakire.
No comments:
Post a Comment