GEOGRAPHY PAPER 3 UGANDA: ENERGY RESOURCES IN UGANDA

ENERGY RESOURCES IN UGANDA

Energy resources are resources which can be used to provide heat, light and motion power. Uganda has got a variety of energy resources and these include;

• Electricity (HEP) from Owen falls dam in Jinja, Bujagali, Mubuku, etc.
• Petroleum products i.e. petrol, kerosene and oil, imported and at Albertan graben
• Solar mostly used in rural areas of Lyantonde, Mpigi, etc.
• Thermal power at Lugogo
• Biomass or wood fuel i.e. firewood and charcoal
• Biogas

It should be noted that according to 2004 population and housing, estimates 88% where using biomass, 1% electricity, 11% others as energy.

LOCATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES IN UGANDA

Status of energy sector

• Biomass widely used i.e. 39% followed by 5% petroleum and 5% of HEP.
• Solar and biomass widely promoted to save forests.
• Frequent load shedding of HEP
• Petroleum is imported and expensive however oil mining in Albertine graben is to commence soon.
• New HEP plants have been constructed like Bujagali, Nyagak to increase power.
• Plans are under way to produce geo-thermal energy in the western rift valley region.
• Thermal energy at Lugogo.

It should be noted that power generated at Owen falls dam in Jinja is transmitted using power lines to different areas in Uganda i.e. To Kasese-Fort portal, Bushenyi-Rukungiri-Kabale, Mbarara-Masaka-Mpigi and Kampala.

Also Luwero-Hoima-Masindi-Apac-Gulu, Lira-Soroti-MbaleTororo-Iganga and Kamuli and other parts of thse country.

Energy resources

Uganda is richly endowed with abundant energy resources, which are fairly distributed throughout the country. These include hydropower, biomass, solar, geothermal, peat and fossil fuels. The energy resource potential of the country includes an estimated 2,000 MW of hydro power, 450 MW of geothermal, 1,650 MW of biomass cogeneration, 460 million tons of biomass standing stock with a sustainable annual yield of 50 million tons, an average of 5.1 kWh/m² of solar energy, and about 250 Mtoe of peat (800 MW).

In addition, petroleum in an estimated amount of 6.5 billion barrels, of which 1.4 billion barrels are recoverable, has been discovered in the western part of the country. The overall renewable energy power generation potential is estimated to be 5,300 MW.

Biomass

Biomass is the predominant type of energy used in Uganda, accounting for 94% of the total energy consumption in the country. Charcoal is mainly used in the urban areas while firewood, agro-residues and wood wastes are widely used in the rural areas.

Firewood is used mainly on three-stone fires in rural households and in food preparation by commercial vendors in urban areas. Only about 10% of all households use efficient stoves. The same applies to the burning of farm residues. Firewood in some institutions like schools and hospitals is however used on improved stoves.

Charcoal is mainly used on a metallic stove traditionally known as a ‘sigiri’ though the use of the clay sigiri is picking up. For the conversion of firewood into charcoal, earth mounds and pits are used as charcoal kilns. These have a wood conversion efficiency of 10 to 12% on weight-out to weight-in basis.

A VIDEO SHOWING THE USE OF BIOMASS

This implies that about 9 kg of wood are needed to produce 1 kg of charcoal, which translates into 22% efficiency on an energy output to energy input basis. Introducing improved technologies may increase efficiency to achieve 3 to 4 kg of wood per kg of charcoal, which corresponds to 60% to 50% efficiency respectively on an energy basis. Efforts to train charcoal burners have mainly been unsuccessful as most of them do it on an individual basis. Like in most African countries, research, development and dissemination of efficient and modern biomass technologies are not yet at the desired level.

Biomass potential and distribution

Various sources supply biomass, among them the different vegetation and land use types. The major sources are hardwood plantations, which consist of eucalyptus (50%), pine trees (33%) and cypresses (17%). The total standing biomass stock is stated with 284.1 million tons with a potential sustainable biomass supply of 45 million tons.

However, accessible sustainable wood biomass supply stands at 26 million tons. This amount meets 59% of the total demand of 44 million tons per year. The theoretical potential production of agriculture residues is between 1,186,000 and 1,203,000 tons annually.

The only business that utilizes biomass residues for electricity production is the sugar industry in a cogeneration process. A small amount of coffee and rice husks is also utilized for heat production in cement and tiles manufacturing. Another small amount is used for the production of carbonized and non-carbonized briquettes.

Most of the biomass is used for cooking while a small share is either used as a fertilizer and/or animal fodder. The wood biomass demand and supply scenario projects that in the next ten years, the country will move from a surplus to a deficit and later to an acute deficit. By year 2011, the deficit is estimated to be 10.7 million tons.

Biomass stoves: Best practice case study

Against the background of high deforestation rates and firewood scarcity in Uganda, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) through the Energy Advisory Project (EAP), partnered with NGOs and the private sector to promote the improved Rocket Lorena Stoves for households and institutions.

 The rocket stoves for households have been modified to fit the socio-economic setting of the poor by using locally available materials that can be obtained cheaply or at no cost. More information on the strategy, which has been successfully used to disseminate over 175,000 Rocket Lorena stoves in Bushenyi and Rakai districts in Uganda since 2005.

Hydropower

The electricity supply system in Uganda was developed during the 1950s and 1960s with the construction of the Owen Falls Hydropower Station (later renamed Nalubale Power Station) with 10 generators with a total installed capacity of 150 MW. Later the power station was refurbished and upgraded to 180 MW and a new power station, Kiira, was constructed with a capacity of 200 MW.

A VIDEO SHOWING OWEN FALLS HYDRO POWER STATION

With the liberalization of the economy and the unbundling of the electricity utility, both Nalubale and Kiira hydro power stations were leased to Eskom (U) Ltd under a 20-year concession agreement. The two hydropower stations form the back bone of the electricity supply network in the country.

The private companies Kilembe Mines Ltd, Tronder Power and Kasese Cobalt Co. Ltd have their own smaller hydropower plants Mubuku I with 5.4 MW, Mobuku II with 14 MW and Mobuku III with 10.5 MW.

The stations were initially built to supply their own industrial activity, but due to the interruption in the copper and cobalt production activities, the companies entered into a contract with the UETCL in 2003 to sell power to the grid.

Other power stations are the Kanungu Power Station of Eco Power with 6.4 MW, and Mpanga Power Station of Africa Energy Management Systems with 18 MW. Three other small hydro power stations Kuluva (120 kW), Kagando (60 kW) and Kisiizi (300 kW) supply electricity to isolated hospital grids.

The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) set up small hydro power plants in Bwindi (64 kW) and Suam (40 kW). The country is facing occasional electricity supply shortages. Uganda’s total installed capacity is 822 MW, generated primarily from Owen Falls Hydropower Station at Jinja in the South-Eastern part of Uganda.

However, during droughts (like in 2009), only around half of the installed capacity could be used as a result of the low water level of Lake Victoria. Contributing to electricity supply problems is the fact that growth in demand for electricity has not been matched with new generation capacity.

To alleviate this problem, the government has procured emergency thermal generators. A new hydro facility has been developed at Bujagali, and is operational since February 2012. The installation capacity is 250 MW.

Before Bujagali became operational, 150 MW thermal capacities had been added in order to bridge the gap until the beginning of 2012. All big power generation plants belong to the Ugandan Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) but are operated and managed by ESKOM, Aggreko and other companies. (Two dams in Uganda are equipped with desilting gates and have proper plans for the management of upstream water and land use issues. However, there are no national plans for optimised operation of power plants under variable flow regimes).

A VIDEO SHOWING BUJAGALI HYDRO POWER PLANT

Hydro potential and distribution

A Hydropower Development Master Plan has been developed with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Uganda has considerable hydro resource potential estimated to be over 2,000 MW. The large-scale hydropower potential is along the White Nile, which originates in Lake Victoria. The flow of the White Nile River is controlled by the Owen Falls Dam.

The water is released according to an “agreed curve” which is a relationship of the lake level and the flow representing the natural flow rate at Ripon Falls prior to the construction of the dam. In the long term, three large hydro power stations will be constructed. The Isimba Power Station with a capacity of 183.2 MW and expected to be operational in 2018. The Karuma Power Station with 600 MW installed capacity and expected to be operational in 2018. And the Ayago Power Station with a size of 600 MW and expected expected to be operational in 2023.

The small and mini hydro sites are mainly located in the Eastern and the Western parts of the country which are hilly and mountainous. A total of 59 mini hydropower sites with a potential of about 210 MW have been identified through different studies. This gives a fair picture of the small and mini hydro potential in the country. Some of the sites can be developed for isolated grids and others as energy supply to the grid.

Solar energy

The level of solar energy utilization in Uganda is still very low. The use of solar PV began in the early 1980s mainly driven by donor-funded programmes for lighting and vaccine refrigeration in health centers. Later the Uganda Railways Cooperation, a government parastatal, installed 35kW at 29 locations for communications and signaling. The Uganda Post and Telecommunications Cooperation also installed 30kW at 35 remote telecommunication sites throughout the country. Some of the earlier initiatives included:

• PV systems installed by Uganda Rural Development and Training in Kagadi through a credit scheme supported by a Dutch organization Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS).
• Habitat for Humanity and Solar Electric Light Fund funded by the US Department of Energy installed 125 solar home systems for low-income families in Kasese.
• Solar Energy Uganda Ltd in partnership with Solar Light Churches for Africa installed a number of PV systems. However, the efforts were uncoordinated and lacked after-sales support.

In 2001, the Government launched the Rural Electrification Strategy and Plan (RESP) for the years of 2001 to 2010. It expired in 2012 due to delayed implementation. Among other, the RESP was supposed to increase the use of solar PV in rural areas.

Unfortunately the RESP for 2001-2010 did not meet expectations. The plan anticipated rural electricity access to grow from the then-estimated 1% percent in rural population access to 10%. However the actual result was an increase of rural access by less than 5% percent.

 Also the RESP had a target of 80,000 PV systems by 2012 but in the end only 7,000 systems were installed. Following this, the electrification strategy and plan 2013-2022.pdf Rural Electrification Strategy and Plan 2013 – 2022 was published. As part of the rural electrification program, Energy for Rural Transformation (ERT I), supported by the World Bank, is implementing PVTMA, a sales-based performance subsidy scheme that also provides business development support to private PV dealers, which is expected to increase PV sales.

A VIDEO SHOWING SOLAR ENERGY USAGE IN UGANDA

 Under the same programme, the Ministries of Health, Education, and Water and the Uganda Communication Commission have procured PV systems to meet their sectors’ electricity needs. The Ministry of Health planned for 568 PV systems for health centers under ERT Phase I. Finally 79 Solar DC vaccine fridges were supplied to Health Centers (HC); 261 staff houses received standalone solar PV energy packages for lighting and operation of radio and TV/VCR; and 220 medical buildings received 17 standalone solar PV energy packages.

The Ministry of Education planned for 458 solar systems for 129 post-primary institutions in 10 districts. By the end of the ERT I, 94 of the 129 institutions had been electrified. After ERT I, the second Energy for Rural Transformation (ERT II) project was initiated. Its focus is to increase access to energy and Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) in rural Uganda.

There are three components to the project, which are: rural energy infrastructure, the ICT and energy development in terms of cross sectoral links and impact monitoring. The project is running from 6th of April 2009 until 30th June 2016 and will cost about 105 million USD. One part of the ERT II was the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of PV packages for 310 primary education institutions.

Solar potential and distribution

The average solar radiation is 5.1 kWh/m²/day. Existing solar data clearly indicate that the solar energy resource in Uganda is high throughout the year. The data indicate a yearly variation (max month / min month) of only about maximum 20% (from 4.5 to 5.5 W/m²), which is due to the location near the equator. The insolation is highest in the dryer area in the north-east and very low in the mountains in the east and south-west.

Wind energy

All wind measurements, which have been carried out so far are for meteorological record purposes (general weather data). The standard height for the location of measuring equipment is two meters above the ground and the sensors are often placed close to obstacles.

The wind data collection from the national meteorological stations was never done with the intention of monitoring wind speeds for energy utilization. Based on wind data collected at 11 sites in three years (1989-1992) by the Department of Meteorology, Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, the wind speeds in most areas of Uganda are moderate with average speed not exceeding 3 m/s.

In some areas with complex terrain, the wind may speed up due to slopes of hills, escarpments and tunneling effects. In the mountain areas in the south-western part towards the border with Rwanda (Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo) and in the area around Mt. Elgon the average wind speed goes up to about 4 m/s. Measurement carried out under the Alternative Energy Resource Assessment and Utilisation Study at two sites for five months (June-Sept 2003) indicated that the average wind speed at Kabale and Mukono at 20m was 3.7m/s.

This study concluded that the wind energy resource in Uganda is insufficient for large-scale electricity generation. However, the wind resource may be suitable for special applications, such as water pumping in remote areas and for small-scale electricity generation in mountainous areas. It is possible that some sites could have enough wind speeds to generate substantial amount of electricity. Preliminary investigations in the Karamoja region (North-Eastern Uganda) and along the shores of lake Victoria have shown that there could be potential for production of electricity on a medium scale.

Geothermal energy

The exploration for geothermal resources in Uganda is still at the reconnaissance and exploration stage. Reconnaissance surveys on Ugandan hot springs started in 1921 by the geological survey of Uganda and the first results were published by Wayland (1935).

In 1973, as a result of the oil crisis, an attempt was made to initiate a geothermal project with United Nations support, but this did not materialise due to the political turmoil in the country. Geothermal energy resources in Uganda are estimated at 450 MW. Exploration for geothermal energy has been in progress since 1993. So far, three potential areas all situated in western Uganda, in the western branch of the East African Rift Valley have been identified for detailed exploration.

The three potential areas are Katwe-Kikorongo, Buranga and Kibiro. Based on recent assessments, they have all been ranked as potential targets for geothermal development. The current study results indicate that the temperature level varies between 150 C° and 200 C° which is sufficient for electricity generation and for direct use in industry and agriculture.

The rest of the geothermal areas of Uganda are at a preliminary level of investigation and results will soon be available as basis for their prioritisation for detailed surface exploration.

Cogeneration

Currently there is a capacity of 29.7 MW in two cogeneration plants installed, which both run with bagasse as fuel. Further there is a considerable potential of cogeneration in the sugar processing industry as well as textile manufactures, beer industry, cement industries and foods and beverages industry.

The potential in the sugar industry alone is currently estimated to be over 100 MW while for other industries it could be over 50 MW. Cogeneration contributes to power generation as well as to the goal of energy efficiency.

Fossil fuels

The annual consumption of petroleum products was 1.4 billion litres in 2012, which is an increase of 13.9 % compared to 2011. The average annual growth of petroleum consumption is about 7%. In 2012, the import bill for petroleum and petroleum products was the highest, totaling 1.3 billion US$ and accounting for 22.2 % of expenditure on formal imports.

The total amount of petroleum products imported in 2012 stood at 1.227 billion litres. The composition is as follows: Petrol (41.1%), Kerosene (6.1%), and diesel products (52.8%). Uganda imports all its petroleum products from overseas since there is no local production yet. About 95% of Uganda’s petroleum imports are routed through Kenya and only 5% come through Tanzania.

 Oil has been detected in six sedimentary basins in Uganda, the most prospective being the Albertine Graben covering 23,000 km² in the Western Rift Valley along Uganda’s Border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two other basins, Hoima basin and Lake Kyoga basins are still under investigation. Currently the amount of oil discovered is about 6.5 billion barrels of which 1.4 billion barrels are recoverable.

But it has to be noted that the numbers change every now and then, suiting to the political situation or new research projects. It is important to note that only around 40% of the Albertine rift basin has been evaluated. This discovery is placing Uganda among the foremost African oil producers. So far over 1 billion US$ has been invested in seismic and drilling of wells since 1998. By international standards the cost of finding a barrel of oil has been very low in Uganda. Bigger investments are required to develop the discovered oil and gas fields.

 A refinery with an input capacity of 60,000 barrels per day will be built  in a modular manner, starting with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day by the end of 2016 which will be increased to 60,000 barrels per day before 2020. A production sharing agreement between the Government and the consortium Tullow Oil (Ire-UK), Total (F) and CNOOC (China) was concluded in February 2012. The consortium will in the near future detail its planning for the construction of the oil fields.

Norway is the lead development partner in the petroleum sector, with a three-year, US$15 million programme, which began in June 2009. The IMF is providing support on petroleum revenue management; the AfDB is providing support on infrastructure; Ireland is considering ways in which it can support civil society in Uganda to work in the sector; DFID is already funding some groups and is exploring other ways to support civil society; and the World Bank is helping with environmental regulations and discussing a possible Petroleum Sector Support Project with the government. The EU delegation is active in all pertinent donor forums in which oil is becoming an increasingly important issue. The EU is actively seeking a better coordination and consolidation of current donor activity.

Thermal power

Two heavy fuel oil thermal power stations exist in the country.

Namanve Power Station is a 50 megawatt plant owned by Jacobsen Electricity Company (Uganda) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jacobsen Elektro, an independent Norwegian power production company. The plant cost US$92 million (€66 million) to build in 2008.

Tororo Power Station is an 89 megawatt heavy fuel-oil powered plant owned by Electro-Maxx Limited, a Ugandan company and a subsidiary of the Simba Group of Companies, owned by Ugandan industrialist Patrick Bitature. This plant is licensed to sell up to 50 megawatts to the national electricity grid.

Namanve and Tororo are used as stand-by power sources to avoid load-shedding when hydropower generation fails to meet demand.

Five sugar manufacturers in Uganda have total cogeneration capacity of about 110 megawatts, of which about 50 percent is available for sale to the national grid. The cogeneration power plants and their generation capacities include Kakira Power Station (52 megawatts), Kinyara Power Station (40 megawatts), Lugazi Power Station (14 megawatts), Kaliro Power Station (12 megawatts) and Mayuge Thermal Power Station (1.6 megawatts).

Electricity transmission and distribution

The Ugandan grid is split up into transmission (> 30 kV) and distribution (<= 30 kV). The transmission system losses are approximately less than 4 % and the distribution system losses were 38% in 2005, 26.1% in 2012 and 24,9% in June 2013.

Transmission

The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd. (UETCL) is the bulk supplier and single buyer of power for the national grid in Uganda. It purchases all independently generated power in the country and it also imports electricity from neighboring countries. UETCL is also responsible for publishing standardized tariffs for renewable energy generation of up to 20 MW capacity based on the avoided cost principle. The length of domestic transmission and distribution lines is 14,312 km.

Distribution

The biggest company empowered to trade and supply electricity at 33kV and below is Umeme Ltd, which leased the assets of the formerly government-owned distribution company (Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd – UEDCL). There are some mini-grid distribution systems and one off-grid generation and distribution company (West Nile Rural Electrification Company Ltd).

Problems facing the energy sector in Uganda

• Limited skilled llabour to tap the existing power and energy potential.
• Limited research in the energy sector
• Competition from other land use for labour, capital, etc.
• Depletion of forest resources like Namanve forest.
• Limited capital to purchase machines.
• Poorly developed transport network.
• Corruption and embezzlement of funds meant for the development of power and energy sector
• Scattered settlement pattern affected distribution of power
• High level bureaucracy in the development of power projects
• Fluctuations in power supply due too natural disasitors like cloudy skies in case of solar power
• Physical barriers like steep slopes in mountainous areas which limit transmission of HEP
• Profit repartriation
• High wastage and loss of power caused by illegal connections
• Less demand for energy and power due to poverty
• Remoteness of some areas with power potential
• Political instability
• High rates/cost of HEP discouraging consumers
• Decreasing levels of water in L. Victoria and rivers.

Measures to the above problems

• The government of Uganda is aiming at improving the quality and quantity of energy supplies at least cost to the national economy. It has set up a hydro-power development master plan (HDMP) to achieve its aim.
• There is rehabilitation and development of mini power stations such as Bujagali on R. Nile, Maziba on R. Maziba in Kabale, Mubuku on R.Mubuku, etc.
• Today there is rural electrification program which has helped several rural areas to posses electricity like in Kabatema-Nsika in Lyanntonde.