Energy Minister inaugurates new power station for Eastern Uganda

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | State Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Sidronius Okaasai Opolot has inaugurated a new electricity substation in Mbale city.

Last year, the government, under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development through the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), allocated sh3.2 billion to UMEME for the construction of a substation at Mbale Industrial Park.

The project also involved the replacement of old wires, poles, and other infrastructure in the Eastern region. During the launch, the minister noted that the primary aim of this substation was to address the prevalent issue of power blackouts in the Eastern region.

He mentioned that the region has been experiencing frequent blackouts due to multiple factors such as aging poles, vandalism of wires, inadequate power supply, and mechanical issues with UMEME’s equipment, among other reasons.

Opolot emphasized that the newly constructed substation would establish direct, independent power lines to vital locations like Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, Kumi, Mbale City, Karamoja, Mbale Industrial Park, Sebi, and others. Importantly, all these connections will be digitally and manually controlled from the substation at Mbale Industrial Park.

Sarah Wasagali Kanabi, the Chairperson of ERA, expressed confidence that following this launch, people in the Eastern region would witness a significant reduction in power blackouts.

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