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SN Power Company from Norway are set to take over the development of the Bujagali hydro-power station in Jinja from SITHE GLOBAL Company.
The Norwegian hydro power investors led by the Chief Executive Officer of SN Power Company Torger Lien on Thursday briefed President Yoweri Museveni on their plans.
Museveni assured the Norwegian investors of a conducive peaceful investment environment in the country as well as government’s support to their venture.
He stressed that Uganda needs more electricity today as the resource is a strategic input especially in the manufacturing sector that will provide employment to the country’s growing population.
“We want electricity now especially in the manufacturing sector. Our population is growing and we have to get jobs for them,” he said.
President Museveni thanked the Agha Khan group and partners for the initial development of Bujagali hydro-power station that helped in curbing load shedding.
The Bujagali Hydroelectric Project (BHP) construction began in 2007. It was officially inaugurated on October 8, 2012 by the president and The Aga Khan IV .
Bujagali on River Nile, which commenced commercial operations in August 2012, is a 250 MW run-of-river hydro facility that is rated the largest privately financed hydroelectric plant in Sub-Saharan Africa and the largest power investment in East Africa.
BHP was undertaken as a Public-Private Partnership between Uganda and the state-owned transmission company, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) on the one hand, and Sithe Global and Kenya’s Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) on the other
The president told his visitors that apart from peace and security, development of the railway line and good roads, electricity is another important element in the country’s economic development as it contributes to lowering costs of production and doing business in general.
Other members of the delegation at the meeting that took place at State Lodge in Fort-portal included Ambassador Johnny Carson, the Senior Vice President and Head of Exploration in the SN Power Company Mr. Torb Jorn E. Kirkeby_Garstad and the President of SITHE GLOBAL, Brian H. Kubeck.
Dr. Kevin K. Kariuki Head of Infrastructure Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya) Limited also attended the meeting.
