BUTEBO — Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has commissioned electricity infrastructure projects valued at more than Shs240 million in Butebo District, with government saying the investment will improve power access for residents and strengthen electricity supply for emerging businesses.
The projects, implemented by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), were commissioned over the weekend in Petete Sub-county during a thanksgiving ceremony held in honour of Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Monica Musenero.
One of the projects involved extending UEDCL’s distribution network to Petete Primary School.
Although the school had been internally wired, it had not been connected to the national electricity grid. The project has now extended power to the school, Petete Church, surrounding households and the Petete Town Council offices.
The works also included the installation of a new transformer to support the additional load in the area.
At Kabarekere Village, UEDCL installed a 100kVA transformer to serve a mini-industrial park that is under construction near St Paul High School.
UEDCL said the industrial park previously depended on a 25kVA single-phase transformer located about 600 metres from the site. The existing supply was inadequate for the park’s projected demand of 48kW.
UEDCL managing director Eng Joselynne Rwabwogo said the new transformer would provide additional capacity as economic activity grows.
“With growing commercial activity and agro-processing in the area, we anticipate increased electricity demand. We have therefore installed a new 100kVA transformer to provide the capacity needed to support industrial and agro-processing activities,” she said.
Ms Nabbanja said electricity was not only a basic service but also an important component of economic development.
“Access to reliable electricity is key to improving education, supporting agro-processing and creating jobs for our people,” she said.
The Prime Minister commended UEDCL for extending electricity to Petete Primary School and providing infrastructure for the industrial park, saying the projects represented the kind of development government wants to see in Butebo.
She urged residents to use improved electricity access to expand economic activities, particularly commercial agriculture, agro-processing and value addition.
Ms Nabbanja said increased access to power should be accompanied by investment in enterprises that can create employment and increase the value of agricultural products produced locally.
Eng Rwabwogo said UEDCL was undertaking similar interventions to address electricity supply and reliability challenges in different parts of the country.
She said the company was also holding consultations with local leaders and other stakeholders to identify service gaps and better understand communities’ electricity needs.
The Butebo projects are expected to improve power access for public institutions and households around Petete while providing additional electricity capacity for the planned industrial park and other businesses in the area.
