Uganda, Kampala: Uganda plans to borrow $358 M from regional and private lenders to support a series of national infrastructure projects, including a high-voltage transmission link to neighbouring South Sudan. Junior finance minister Henry Musasizi presented the proposal to parliament, noting that the credit will be sourced from the African Development Fund, the Arab Bank for Development in Africa, and Standard Chartered Bank. The request has been referred to a House committee that will study the proposal before the full chamber votes on it.
One of the main projects supported by the loan is Uganda’s long-planned electricity export initiative. After commissioning a $1.7 B Chinese-funded hydropower dam last year, the country now generates surplus power and is preparing to supply some of it to South Sudan. The planned development includes a 138-kilometre high-voltage transmission line, the expansion of two existing substations, and the construction of one new substation. Uganda has already been in discussions with Chinese firm Sinohydro to develop the project.
The funding package will also cover a new road in northwestern Uganda linking the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as investments to improve access to clean water.
In a separate development, the landscape of energy infrastructure continues to shift globally. In New Mexico, USA, the SunZia Wind project is taking shape as the nation’s largest clean-energy development. The initiative combines a 3.5 GW wind farm, more than 900 turbines, and an 885-km (550-mi) transmission line, a system capable of supplying electricity to 3 million homes at an estimated cost of $11 B.
Source: Club of Mozambique
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