WAKI

Run-of-river hydropower plant with a planned installed capacity of 4.8 MW and estimated 25 GWh annual production, located in Hoima and Bulisa District, Western Uganda.  The Project secured investments of USD 18.1M, with USD 3.6M in GET FiT commitments, and commenced construction during 2015.  

 

This is only one of two projects in the portfolio with a tunnel section, through which a small portion of the headrace pipeline will pass, and the only project to attempt fabrication of the steel pipeline on site.  For this purpose, the Developer established a bespoke workshop with steel plate rolling facilities on site, as well as facilities for sand blasting and applying protective coatings.  Unlike most other GET FiT projects, the Developer has benefited from the power evacuation line to the site already being completed, allowing the site to utilise grid-supplied electricity during the construction phase.

 

Construction progress was slow during the first half of the year, particularly at the weir site, where successfully implementing the river diversion works had taken substantially longer than planned.  Slow progress and issues of non-compliance with IFC Performance Standards and Ugandan regulations resulted in an enforced construction stop by both ERA and GET FiT of several months during the year.  The Developer addressed key issues and resumed construction works during Q4 2017 and is aiming to achieve commercial operation during Q3 2018.