The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) has pledged to increase power generation capacity to 5200 megawatts (MW) by 2040, with the current capacity being 3517 MW in 2024, with the goal of increasing the number of households accessing modern energy services.
The ministry made the above pledge while making its presentation during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Manifesto week on November 19, 2024, at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala.
Irene Bateebe, the Permanent Secretary of MEMD, while representing the Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, noted that the ministry works in line with the NRM Manifesto, stating that it follows pledges and commitments made by NRM on energy development programs and minerals development programs, including the development of petroleum and oil.
Bateebe said that under the 2021 NRM Manifesto, there were pledges on energy development to increase power generation capacity, increase high-voltage transmission capacity, and increase the number of households to access modern energy services.
“The power generation capacity is to be increased from 984 MW in 2017/18 to 3500 MW in 2024/25, with the current capacity in 2024 being 3517 MW. High voltage transmission capacity is to be increased from 2,354 km in 2018/18 to 4,354 km in 2024/25, with the current km being 4,519 km in 2024. The number of households accessing modern energy services is to be increased to 60% by 2024/25 from 24% in 2018/19, with the current percentage being 60%, with 22% connected to the national grid and 38% off-grid,” she said.
Read Also: 84% of the NRM Manifesto Done or in Working progress—Bashasha
She added that the NRM Manifesto also pledged to continue with the electrification of sub-counties and connect all by 2023 and connect the West Nile region to the national grid.
“We can happily testify that West Nile has been connected to the national grid through the Kole-Gulu-Nebbi-Arua transmission line. We have also connected 210 sub-counties with the balance of 410 sub-counties,” Bateebe added.
Agnes Alaba, the MEMD Commissioner in Mines Departments, highlighted that the NRM manifesto on petroleum resource development is to increase efficiency in the extraction of oil and resources and to produce refined oil and oil by-products for local and export markets.
“As we see, the EACOP project is on with the project allowing Uganda to unlock value from its own natural resources. The oil is exported to be extracted by 2025/26,” she noted.
The ministry officials, however, stressed that they faced a few challenges as they implemented the NRM manifesto, including lengthy agreements on land acquisition, increased vandalism, activities of artisanal miners, and inadequate funding.
