South African Power Company Eskom has said it did its level best to improve power generation at Nalubaale power dam as its 20-year concession comes to an end in about four months’ time.
Ms Thozama Gangi, the Eskom chief executive officer, said the company was tasked to stabilise power generation in Uganda on behalf of the government and she believes they have achieved their mandate.
“We are leaving a better plant than we found. We came to stabilise electricity production and build capacity in the sector and government supported us. We have tried our best to deliver our mandate,” she said.
Ms Gangi also said of the $59m Eskom received from its investors as equity to invest in Nalubaale Hydro power station, $52m have been completed while another $3m will be deployed before end of the concession to upgrade equipment, train human resource, build maternity wards for the community in Kimaka, renovate Njeru Primary School for children of workers at the dam and plant trees on Wanyange Hill, among others.
“We are leaving a better plant than we found. We came to stabilise electricity production and build capacity in the sector and government supported us. We have tried our best to deliver our mandate,”
Thozama Gangi, the Eskom chief executive officer,
She noted much of the investment has since been recovered, save for $18m that the Auditor General is currently verifying.
She also said Eskom has said it has started the process of handing over Nalubaale power dam assets back to government.
Gangi said currently, the Auditor General is verifying capital investment that the company has injected into the 20-year concession government gave it to operate and maintain Nalubaale hydro power dam.
Government at the weekend indicated that in October, it had made a decision to take back the electricity sub-sector as a way of availing affordable electricity to Ugandans.
Last week, Umeme announced that the government is not renewing their concession which ends in 2025.