Ugandan government seeks consultants for project design and implementation

Uganda’s Ministry of Water, in collaboration with the Environment Water and Sanitation Development Facility for the Southwest region, has indicated that it will require consulting support for the conduction of a survey for the establishment of power lines in certain regions of the country.

In addition to a survey, the selected consulting firm will also be responsible for the design of several electricity transmission systems. The new lines will be concentrated primarily in rural areas situated in the middle and South Western regions of Uganda to the west of Kampala, the country’s capital.

The appointment of a consulting firm will be under a one-year contract, and includes provisions for close collaboration with the Environment, Water and Sanitation Development Facility for the region in question. Specifically, the project will begin with the identification of certain key power sources across the country.

The consulting firm will thereafter identify the ideal routes for electricity transmission, incorporating all the necessary features, including buildings, facilities, roads, and agricultural considerations along the transmission lines. The firm will also identify the compensation levels that might be appropriate for the communities affected during the construction process.

In the design domain, the firm will be tasked with offering a detailed report on the parameters of the country’s current power distribution systems. Based on the gaps identified in the existing infrastructure, the firm will offered detailed recommendations for the new lines.

These recommendations will expectedly include details of the voltage, the number of conductor types and sizes required, the types and size of the cables required, as well as the transformer ratings of facilities along the line. Prior to development the consulting firm will also be tasked with obtaining regulatory clearance for the project. 

The project is among a number of energy and electricity transmission developments currently underway across the African continent, as the region looks to cover the substantial gap in infrastructural investment that it has been facing. It remains to be seen whether Uganda will follow the broader trend of gravitating towards renewable forms of energy.