The Ituka Solar Power Station, is a

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

power plant under construction in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. The power station is under development by AMEA Power, an

independent power producer An independent power producer (IPP) or non-utility generator (NUG) is an entity that is not a public utility but owns facilities to generate electric power for sale to utilities and end users. NUGs may be privately held facilities, corporations ...

(IPP), domiciled in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Location

The power station is located in Ombaci Village, Uleppi Subcounty, Madi Okollo District, approximately , by road, southeast of

Arua Arua is a city and commercial centre within the Arua District in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. Location Arua is approximately north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, Arua is about , by road, west ...

city center.

Overview

The construction site measures . The design calls for a ground-mounted photo-voltaic solar power station with generation capacity of 24 megawatts. The power will be sold directly to the

Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) is a parastatal company whose primary purpose is to make bulk electricity purchases and transmit the electricity along high-voltage wires to local and foreign distribution points. UETCL ...

(UETCL) for integration in the national electricity grid. A 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed between the developers and UETCL to guide the sale and purchase of electricity between the two. Construction started in August 2024 and commercial commissioning is anticipated in 2025. Included in the project is the construction of a medium voltage 33/132 kV transformer switchyard, through which the power generated here will be directed to the 132 kV Lira–Gulu–Nebbi–Arua High Voltage Power Line, for evacuation.

Developers

The power station is owned by AMEA Power, a

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

IPP with focus on

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. Amea Power created a subsidiary that it owns 100 percent called Ituka West Nile Uganda Limited, a special purpose vehicle company specifically set up to develop, build, operate and maintain this solar power station.

Costs and funding

The cost of construction has not been disclosed as of December 2023. The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a subsidiary of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) has committed to lend US$19 million towards the development of this power station. The PIGD is funded by donor countries: United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany and the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...

. In December 2023, the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), announced its intention to support this development through its ''Regional Liquidity Support Facility'' (RLSF). ATIDI will provide payment guarantees for the benefit of the project on behalf of UETCL. The insurance policy will cover up to six months' worth of revenue for the IPP and be in place for an initial duration of 15 years. The insurance policy makes the investment project more bankable and more secure.

References

External links