President Museveni has called on investors to continue setting up factories in Uganda because ‘power in Uganda now is no longer a problem.’
Mr Museveni made the call during the commissioning of the Isimba Hydro Power Project on Thursday, March 21. The dam will add another 183 megawatts of power onto the national grid.
“Since we are done with the problem of power, now we are going to repair the old railway line and build another to provide affordable transport,” the President, who also castigated ‘greedy’ landlords who have always asked for a big amount of money to allow government projects on their land, said.
“Too much greed has made some people want to put some of these projects (Isimba Dam) on hold. Even if the land is yours, you can let the project go on for the sake of the country, God will give you more things.”
The dam’s commissioning was ‘blessed’ by a heavy downpour that saw tents and the main stage swept away. Most of the invited guests scampered for shelter.
The project in Kayunga District cost Shs 2 Trillion -15 per cent of which was from the government of Uganda and 85 per cent a loan from Exim Bank.
Isimba Dam, according to the President, is to complement other dams.
“Isimba Hydro-power project is expected to bridge the gap in electricity consumption and bring down the exorbitant power costs that continue to cause an outcry while keeping most consumers at bay.”
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Project Steering Committee of the project, Eng Badru Kiggundu told journalists that after the commissioning, there will be a defect liability period of two years within which if anything develops, it will be the responsibility of the contractor to rectify.
The dam is four kilometres downstream of Isimba Falls on the River Nile and about 50 km downstream from the source of the Nile. It’s 21km from Kayunga, the nearest town and about 65km from Jinja town. It comprises a concrete gravity dam, a clay-core rockfill dam, a spillway, a powerhouse, electro-mechanical equipment, switching stations, auxiliary power transmission works.
The groundbreaking ceremony was done on April 30, 2013.
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