Ugandan president commissions Chinese-built mega hydropower project

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong plant a tree together at the Karuma dam site in Kiryandongo, Uganda, Sept. 26, 2024. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned the Chinese-built 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Station and the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

KARUMA, Uganda, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned the Chinese-built 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Station and the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo.

A special ceremony was held Thursday to mark the occasion, which was also attended by Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo, ministers, senior officials, and development partners among others.

Museveni thanked China for financing the construction of the hydropower project, noting that access to adequate and affordable electricity is one of the key factors that can fast-track his country's economy.

"I am very grateful that our Chinese friends came in, they said not only can we do it technically (construction), but we can co-fund it. That is how we have been able to build this wonderful facility," the president said.

The president hailed China for its announcement at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing early this month, where the Asian country gave all the least developed countries it has diplomatic relations with, including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.

Museveni said China by opening up its market would benefit African countries.

The hydropower project, constructed both on the surface and underground River Nile, the world's longest river, was jointly financed by the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of China and the Ugandan government. The project, believed to be Uganda's largest of the kind, cost 1.7 billion U.S. dollars.

Ugandan Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa said the project would be a vital part of Uganda's electricity infrastructure to supply power to different parts of the country and the region.

She said the commissioning of the Karuma project is also a signal of Uganda's transition to green energy.

Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong said the commissioning of the hydropower project represented a milestone in the cooperation between China and Uganda.

"Karuma Hydropower Project would not only connect millions of households with affordable electricity, supply power for some of the most dynamic industrial areas in Uganda, and promote its green economic transformation, but also give the Pearl of Africa a huge boost as the regional electricity hub and contribute to sustainable clean energy for East African development," said Zhang.

China's state-owned engineering and construction company Sinohydro Corporation Limited started the construction of the hydropower project in 2013, employing more than 50,000 workers.

Karuma is the second power plant financed by China after the 183-megawatt Isimba Hydropower Plant, which was commissioned in 2019.

This photo taken on Sept. 26, 2024 shows the Karuma dam at the Karuma Hydropower Station in Kiryandongo, Uganda. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned the Chinese-built 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Station and the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (in white) is briefed during the commissioning of the Chinese-built 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Station in Kiryandongo, Uganda, Sept. 26, 2024. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned the Chinese-built 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Station and the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)