Kiira Hydroelectric Power Station

Kiira Power Station

Kiira Hydroelectric Power Station, marked with a red arrow.
Location of Kiira Power Station in Uganda
Country Uganda
Location Jinja
Coordinates 00°27′00″N 33°11′08″E / 0.45000°N 33.18556°ECoordinates: 00°27′00″N 33°11′08″E / 0.45000°N 33.18556°E
Status Operational
Commission date 2003
Power generation
Units operational 5
Nameplate capacity 200 MW (270,000 hp)

Kiira Power Station, sometimes spelled Kiyira Power Station, is a hydroelectric power station with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts (270,000 hp), in Uganda.

Location

The power station is located at Kimaka, a northern suburb of Jinja, Jinja District, in eastern central Uganda, approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi),[1] northwest of the central business district of Jinja, Uganda's second-largest industrial city. It is housed next to the Nalubaale Power Station at the point where the River Nile pours out of Lake Victoria to start its 4,000 miles (6,400 km) journey to the Mediterranean Sea.

History

In 1993 work started on the Nalubaale Power Station project. The new project is a second powerhouse located about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) northeast of the Nalubaale Power Station, which was built in 1954. A new canal was cut to bring water from Lake Victoria to the new powerhouse. Major construction was completed in 1999. The first power from two units out of the installed five units, came online in 2000.

As of 2003, three of the five hydro power generators had been installed. Each unit at the extension has a capacity of 40 MW. During official opening ceremonies in 2003, the extension was named the Kiira Power Station. Design and project management of the extension project was by Acres International (now part of Hatch ), Canada.[2]

Operations

In 2002, the Uganda Government, through Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL), a 100% parastatal, awarded a 20-year operational, management and maintenance concession to Eskom Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Eskom, the South African energy company, to cover both Kiira Power Station and nearby Nalubaale Power Station. Eskom sells the electricity it generates to Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) as the authorized single buyer. UETCL turns around and sells the power to Umeme, the energy distributor.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Map Showing Jinja And Kimaka With Distance Marker". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Profile of Kiira Hydroelectric Power Station". Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL). Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Olanyo, Joseph (5 August 2012). "ESKOM to Invest $20 Million On Nalubaale, Kiira Dams". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 5 May 2014.

External links