Dorothy Nakaweesi
6 October 2004
Kampala — Daily power load shedding started on October 1, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd., announced.
Power shortage has been attributed to the reduced level of water on Lake Victoria due to a prolonged drought.
Mr Edward Twine, the UEDCL Senior Public Relations Officer, said the shedding would be "every other day".
He said daytime load shedding would last from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. while nighttime power cuts will last between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Twine added that power supply is also be constrained by a monthly increase in demand for power countrywide by up to eight percent.
The last time power cuts were most severe was in 2000.
Uganda generates about 300 mega watts of power from the two power stations of Nalubale and Kiira.
"We cannot afford to over load the system because it will break down, the only answer here is to off load some turbines," said a source at the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd, who asked not to be named.
The turbines are also slated for maintenance and repair works soon, which is likely to worsen the situation.
Asked why power being exported could not be cut down to feed local demand, the source said, Uganda exports only 30 mega watts, which is exported only during off peak hours between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
"There is excess power between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. this is when we export power to Kenya, northern Tanzania and Rwanda," the source said.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2004 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
