By David Rupiny
President Yoweri Museveni on September 26, 2024, commissioned the 6,000-megawatt Karuma Dam, Uganda’s largest power installation, as well as in East Africa. It is also the 14th largest underground power plant globally.
The EXIM Bank of China provided $1.7 billion in funding, with Sino Hydro Power Company, another Chinese state-owned company, doing the construction works.
The plant generates power by using the flow of water from the River Nile rather than storing large amounts of water in a reservior. The modern dam was built with key components like a dam section, power intake unit, powerhouse, transformer cavern, surge chamber, pressure shafts, cable shaft, and two tail-race tunnels for returning water circulating through the turbines back to the river.
Karuma Dam has one of the lowest tariffs at 4.97 US dollars cents per kilowatt-hour.
Completion of the dam marks a significant milestone in Uganda’s journey towards energy independence and sustainable development.
The Karuma Dam will provide a significant contribution to Uganda’s industrialization agenda by powering small, medium, and large industries and business enterprises.
Additionally, Karuma Dam also enhances the country’s capacity for regional power trade, ultimately attracting increased foreign investment and revenue.
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