$1.3 M for power supply in Gulu
Power distribution transformers at Gulu substation will be decommissioned as Umeme Limited looks to replace it with one of a higher capacity.
Uganda
Uganda, Gulu: One of the two power distribution transformers at Gulu substation will be decommissioned as Umeme Limited looks to replace it with one of a higher capacity, a move that is expected to boost power supply in the region.
The targeted voltage modifier, which the manufacturer rated 2.5 MVA, is buckling under the pressure of demand. It is overloaded by 10 percentage points, which is against the manufacturer’s recommendation. Umeme is to install a transformer that is double that capacity, the company said in a statement. Also, Umeme will mount a new switchgear.
“It will substitute the wooden pillars and electrical bars on them with underground cables and erect a building to protect the equipment from adverse weather,” the statement pointed out.
The project manager, Daudi Sserunkuma, said: “The demand on the distribution system in Gulu has been increasing since 2006. So, we are going to upgrade the substation to improve power supply and reliability.”
Sserunkuma said they expect to commission the modernised substation in November. Gulu substation serves 13,500 customers.
It gets power from Achwa dam as well as from the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) substation in Lira district. The total cost for these investments will be $1.3 M (Shs 4.8 B).
Other power utilities like UETCL and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) have embarked on projects that will improve the quality of power supply not only to Gulu but northern Uganda generally.
Source: The Observer