Kampala — THE construction of the Buseruka hydro power dam in Hoima district will be completed in January next year. The project was part of the President's election promises in 2006 under the rural electrification programme.

Hydromax Power Company engineer Gopalakrishnan Ramkumar on Wednesday said the $27m project would produce nine megga watts of power, which will be connected to the national grid at Kinubi substation in Hoima.

Hydromax is the company constructing the dam. Ramkumar said the project, which is being constructed on River Wambabya in Buseruka sub-county, will have three turbines, each producing three megga watts.

He added that the project, which seats on over 30 acres of land, is currently employing about 100 people. Ramkumar, however, said the project was being affected by the erratic water levels of the river, especially during the dry season.

"The greatest challenge of the project is the water which gets too low during dry season. But this will not stop us from generating power though it may sometimes affect the amount of power that will be generated," he said.

The district chairman, George Bagonza, said the project had contributed to the development of the district. "It has already added value to this area because roads that lead to it are being tarmacked and the locals are getting employment," he said.

Bagonza added that the project would also attract investors to the district. "I think this is going to be an eye opener to other investors because we have rivers that can be harnessed to generate power but they are still lying idle," he explained.

Bagonza said the power project would reduce load shedding.

"We are going to see villages getting power. This will encourage people to start local investments which will lead to more development," Bagonza said.