The European Union (EU) has committed another pound 60m (Shs243b) to the last-mile electricity connectivity project.
The commitment was announced by Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa at the Renewable Energy Conference, where she said that the funding aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to rural households, public institutions, and the private sector.
‘I was in Brussels recently, and we are going to get another pound 60m for last-mile connections. This is now the newest, freshest news from Brussels,’ she said.
The last-mile connectivity project was launched in 2021 with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners to connect 87,500 rural households to affordable electricity. Initially, the project was expected to conclude by the end of 2022.
In September 2015, the AfDB extended a $100m to support the initiative, alongside an pound 11.2 million grant (about $13m) from the EU’s Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund.
Ms Nankabirwa also revealed that government had secured EU funding to renovate key hydropower stations, Kiira and Nalubaale, to achieve a combined generation of 380 megawatts.
While details on the exact funding amount and timeline were not disclosed, the announcement follows an EU delegation’s tour of the stations last October.
Additionally, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited invited Expressions of Interest in July for consultants to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the planned rehabilitation of Nalubaale (180 MW) and Kiira (200 MW).
The rehabilitation will involve restoring all ten 18.6 MW units of Nalubaale over six years, preserving its capacity for another 30 years, and upgrading Kiira’s hydro-mechanical equipment and operational monitoring systems.
During the Renewable Energy Conference jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Platform, Ms Nankabirwa also launched the Clean Cooking Unit Programme, addressing the fact that more than 80 percent of Ugandans still rely on wood and charcoal for cooking.
Supported by the UK government and the Global Green Growth Institute, the programme seeks to promote a nationwide transition to clean, sustainable cooking.