KAMPALA – The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has embarked on a network integration project to boost electricity supply and reliability for consumers in Isingiro, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, and parts of Rwampara District in western Uganda.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The upgrade, likely to benefit over 30,000 households and 700 businesses across the region, comes after UETCL installed a new 15MVA power transformer at the Mirama Hills Substation, paving the way for critical integration works.
The upgrade involves splitting the Kikagati–Ntungamo feeder at the Mirama Hills Substation into two dedicated sections, with one supplying Ntungamo, Rukungiri, and parts of Rwampara, and the other feeding Isingiro and its environs.
The new configuration offers a more efficient pathway for evacuating power from the Kikagati Hydropower Plant, which sits along the Kagera River in Isingiro District.
Eng. Alex Atukunda, UEDCL’s Head of Commercial Services for the Western Region, said the project tackles supply issues and losses from poorly performing feeders, especially the Mbarara Central–Kikagati and Kikagati–Ntungamo lines.
He explained that though the Kikagati–Ntungamo feeder serves as the main route for evacuating power from the Kikagati Hydropower Plant, its suboptimal configuration, compounded by insufficient load, has led to significant losses that hurt performance.
“The Kikagati–Ntungamo feeder is currently the primary route for evacuating power from the Kikagati Hydropower Plant, but its existing configuration is not optimal. Insufficient local load and the resulting technical losses have significantly affected its performance,” said Atukunda.
The key beneficiary is Terra Industrial Development Company, an iron-processing factory in Ntungamo with an estimated power demand of approximately 7MVA, nearly half the capacity of the newly installed transformer.
The project, which commenced last month, is expected to deliver immediate improvements upon mid-September completion, including enhanced reliability, reduced losses, and added capacity to support growing industrial activity across the four districts.
Looking ahead, a second phase still under review will add a Ntungamo switching station, dedicated feeders for key industries, and capacitor banks to stabilize voltage and enhance switching flexibility.
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