The Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) says that the proposed 6.6 Megawatt Nyagak III Small Hydropower Project is 80% complete.
“Civil works on the Nyagak III (6.6 MW) have progressed to 80%,” reads the UEGCL Annual Report 2022.
Located in Paidha Sub-County, Zombo District, the Nyagak III hydro power project is being developed as a Public Private Partnership between UEGCL, the Consortium of Hydromax Ltd and Dott Services Ltd.
The Nyagak III plant is an important strategic asset which, according to UEGCL will alleviate the woes of power supply in the north eastern region of Uganda (West Nile sub region).
The project comes at a time when government is working tooth and nail to connect West Nile sub region to the national power grid.
The region has never been connected to the national grid since 2003, following the unbundling of the Uganda Electricity Board (UEB).
The $19.39 million project will supplement power generation in the region by two generators – the 3.5 megawatt Nyagak 1 hydro power plant and the 8.3 Megawatt Euata thermal plant in Arua District.
Nyagak 1 hydro power plant is operated by the regional power distributor, the West Nile Rural Electrification Company Limited (WENRECo) while the Euata thermal plant is operated by Electromaxx.
The construction of Nyagak III hydro power project began in 2017, and was expected to be completed within 33 months.
However, the multi-billion mini dam project has suffered multiple setbacks.
In 2019, works at Nyagak were halted following a compensation dispute after Paidha chiefdom demanded 90 Million Shillings from UEGCL to relocate its cultural heritage from the construction site.
In April this year, the construction works of the Nyagak III hydro-power dam were threatened by heavy rains leading to the suspension of excavation works of the powerhouse for the dam by the contractor.
The heavy rains characterized by thunderstorms and lightnings experienced in the region hampered the movement of trucks to the site which slowed the work.
UEGCL says the Commercial Operations Date was extended to March 2023 due to funding constraints, COVID-19 disruptions with many lockdowns in Uganda and India, the manufacturer of turbines, Supply chain disruptions due to increase in fuel prices and fuel crisis among others.
The Nyagak III hydro power plant is expected to solve the challenge of erratic power supply in West Nile sub region.