Kenya may export power to Uganda

June 23, 2006 - People's Daily

Kenya's electricity officials said Thursday they are negotiating with Uganda to export 50 megawatts ( MW) of power to offset Uganda's crippling shortages.

Kenya's biggest power supplier, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), said it doesn't require power generated from emergency capacity of 44 MW installed last month to meet an expected shortfall caused by a sear drought.

"We are negotiating with the Uganda to supply part of emergency power because the Ugandans need it more than we do," KenGen Managing Director Eddy Njoroge told reporters in Nairobi.

Uganda has suffered crippling electricity shortages for months, and almost every business has been forced to run costly, diesel- powered generators.

Uganda's two dams at full capacity could produce 270 MW of electricity, but according to officials from the energy ministry, demand for power stands at 340 MW.

The annual power demand has also increased by 11.5 percent. Uganda's manufacturing sector has faced stiff cuts in production due to shortage of power in the country.

Jobs have been lost and the amount of production has drastically been cut with some firms cutting their production levels by 50 percent.

Source: Xinhua