Kanungu Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Ishasha River 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 station is sometimes referred to as the ''Ishasha Power Station''.

Location

The power station is in the Kanyantorogo sub-county of

Kanungu District Kanungu District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. The town of Kanungu is the site of the district headquarters. Location Kanungu District is bordered by Rukungiri District to the north a ...

in southwestern Uganda, about by road from the district headquarters in the town of

Kanungu Kanungu is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the location of the district headquarters for Kanungu District. Location Kanungu is located approximately , on a winding dirt road, southwest of the town of Rukungiri, the nearest large ...

, although the straight air distance is only about . The geographical coordinates of the power station are: 0°52'53.0"S, 29°40'14.0"E (Latitude:-0.881389; Longitude:29.670556). The dam and

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

on the Ishasha River are downstream from the boundary of the

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of t ...

. A

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is of Scots origin, and was inherited from the earlier technology of mill pond ...

takes water downstream to the twin-

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

power station, for a rated head of . A

tailrace A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous blade ...

then takes water from the power station and returns it to the Ishasha River. Provision has been made for an open-pipe flow of 250 liters per second into the section of the river between the dam and the tailrace to ensure that local fish species are not adversely affected. A , 33 kiloVolt transmission line connects the power station to the national grid.

History

The power station was constructed by Eco Power Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Eco Power Holdings Limited of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Construction was completed in March 2011. The power plant was technically commissioned on 18 March 2011. Political commissioning was performed on 22 November 2011. The plant is expected to support development of industries and stimulate other areas of investment in Kanungu and the surrounding rural areas, including parts of the neighboring

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

References

External links

Uganda: East Africa’s hydro powerhouse
As at 10 March 2017.
Completed Kanungu Dam and Power Plant
{{Kanungu District, state=collapsed Dams completed in 2011 Energy infrastructure completed in 2011 Dams in Uganda Hydroelectric power stations in Uganda Kanungu District

Location

History

See also

References

External links