Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station

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Coordinates: 00°12′45″N 30°00′20″E / 0.21250°N 30.00556°E / 0.21250; 30.00556
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Not to be confused with Nyamwamba II Hydroelectric Power Station.

Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station
Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Uganda
Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station
Map of Uganda showing the location of
Nyamwamba I HPP
CountryUganda
LocationKilembe, Kasese District
Coordinates00°12′45″N 30°00′20″E / 0.21250°N 30.00556°E / 0.21250; 30.00556
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Construction costUS$24 million
Owner(s)Serengeti Energy Limited
Operator(s)Serengeti Energy Limited
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsNyamwamba River
Reservoir
Normal elevation1,680 m (5,510 ft)
Commission date2019
TypeRun-of-the-river
Turbines2
Installed capacity9.2 MW (12,300 hp)

Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station, also referred to as Nyamwamba I Power Station, is a 9.2 megawatts mini-hydroelectric power station in Uganda.[1]

Location[edit]

The power station is located in the village of Kilembe, across the River Nyamwamba, in Kasese District in the Western Region of Uganda. This is in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nyamwamba I HPP lies approximately 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi), by road, northwest of Kasese, the location of the district headquarters and the nearest large town.[2][3]

Overview[edit]

The power station is a run of the river mini-hydropower installation, with installed capacity of 9.2 MW. The renewable energy installation was developed by South Asia Energy Management Systems LLC (SAEMS), based in Sri Lanka. SAEMS is an IPP that acquires, develops, and operates run-of-the-river hydropower projects in emerging markets. Funding for the project will be provided by a loan from a consortium of lenders that include the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, the Netherlands Development Finance Company, the German Investment Corporation, and the FinnFund.[4] The power generated is intended for use by the town of Kasese with a population of 101,679 in 2014.[5] The off-taker is the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the national electricity bulk transmitter company. The power generated will be evacuated via 33kV cables to Nkenda Substation, where it will enter the Ugandan grid. Nkenda is located approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi), by road, northeast of Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station.[6]

Construction costs[edit]

The construction costs are estimated at US$24 million. The contribution to those costs is as depicted in the table below:[4]

Financing Sources For Nyamwamba I Power Station
Rank Name of Lender Loan Amount (US$ Million) Percentage
1 Netherlands Development Finance Company
12.0
50
2 Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund
6.0
25
3 German Investment Corporation
4.0
17
4 FinnFund
2.0
8
Total
24.0
100.00

Construction timetable[edit]

In October 2014, the Electricity Regulatory Authority licensed nine renewable energy power projects. One of the nine was Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station. Construction was expected to start in December 2014 and last about 2 years.[7] However, construction was delayed due to flooding of the construction site, which required a re-design of the project. The original 14 megawatts capacity was scaled back to 9.2 megawatts. Construction started in 2015, with commissioning expected during the first quarter of 2018. In 2019, this power station, together with the 18 MW Mpanga Hydroelectric Power Station in Kamwenge District were acquired by Serengeti Energy Limited, formerly known as rAREH, which is based in Kenya.[8]

Other considerations[edit]

As of 2019, rAREH (today Serengeti Energy Limited) and SAEMS had a plan to jointly develop 7.8 MW Nyamwamba II Hydroelectric Power Station, upstream of Nyamwamba I HPP.[8] Nyamwamba II HPP came online in March 2022.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ FMO (Netherlands) (28 August 2015). "Africa EMS Nyamwamba Limited: Project Detail". FMO (Netherlands). The Hague, Netherlands. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  2. ^ Google (7 April 2022). "Road Distance Between Kasese, Uganda And Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  3. ^ World Bank (January 2014). "Environmental and Social Review Summary for Renewable Energy Development Program – Nyamwamba Hydropower Project, Uganda" (PDF). World Bank. Washington DC, United States. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b EAIF (2014). "EAIF signs 2nd loan facility with SAEMS". EmergingAfricaFund.com (EAIF). Archived from the original (Archived rom the original on 12 September 2014) on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  5. ^ Uganda Bureau of Statistics (27 August 2014). "The Population of The Regions of the Republic of Uganda And All Cities And Towns of More Than 15,000 Inhabitants" (Cityppulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)). Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ Google (8 April 2022). "Road Distance Between Nyamwamba I Hydroelectric Power Station And Nkenda UETCL 200KiloVolt Substation" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  7. ^ Sanya, Samuel (22 October 2014). "ERA Licenses 9 Renewable Energy Projects". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  8. ^ a b Stacy Fiehler (July 2019). "rAREH acquires two hydropower plants in Uganda". ResponsAbility.com. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. ^ Jean Marie Takouleu (6 April 2022). "Uganda: Nyamwamba II hydroelectric power plant goes into commercial operation". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 8 April 2022.

External links[edit]

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