Tororo Thermal Power Station Explained

Tororo Thermal Power Station
Location Map Caption:Location of Tororo Thermal Power Station in Uganda
Coordinates:0.6372°N 34.1167°W
Country:Uganda
Location:Tororo
Owner:Electro-Maxx Limited
Status:O
Th Fuel Primary:heavy fuel oil
Th Fuel Secondary:biodiesel
Th Fuel Tertiary:crude oil
Ps Electrical Capacity:89MW
Commissioned:2010

Tororo Thermal Power Station is a 89MW heavy fuel oil-fired thermal power plant located in the town of Tororo in Tororo District in the Eastern Region of Uganda.[1]

Location

The power station is located in Tororo, approximately 11km (07miles) southwest of downtown, along the Tororo–Bugiri road. The station is approximately 198km (123miles), by road, east of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The coordinates of the station are 0°38'14.0"N, 34°07'00.0"E (Latitude:0.637222; Longitude:34.116667).

Overview

The power station is owned and operated by Electro-Maxx Limited, a private energy provider in Uganda, who built the power plant at an estimated cost of US$60 million.[2] The plant uses heavy fuel oil (HFO), a byproduct of petroleum distillation.[3] The plant currently imports HFO but in the future, it will leverage the country's natural assets and obtain domestically produced HFO or crude oil. The initial power station was fully commissioned in September 2010.[4]

Upgrade

In August 2012, Ugandan print media reported that the power station was in the process of upgrading the plant's capacity to 80 megawatts, at an estimated cost of US$60 million. The upgrade was expected to be complete by September 2012.[5] In May 2017, the Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development gave the installed capacity at this power station at 89 megawatts.[6] Upon commissioning of the plant, Electro-Maxx became the first indigenous independent power producer in Africa for power plants with capacity greater than 20 megawatts.[1]

Operation

The power station resumed operations in February 2014 with consistent dispatch. During 2013, the plant was on standby, producing power only when needed, such as a maintenance issue at a hydropower station. The standby period in 2013 resulted from a temporary high supply versus demand for power following the commissioning of the 250 megawatt Bujagali Power Station. With only twelve percent electrification and large industrial growth, demand is rising consistently, which increases the power required from the station.[7]

In 2019, the power supply agreement that Electro-Maxx has with Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the national sole bulk purchaser, was amended to allow the relocation of up to 8 megawatts of generation capacity to Arua City, to mitigate dire electricity shortage there. As of January 2021, only 3.8 megawatts of generation capacity had been relocated.[8]

Acquisition by the Ugandan government

In November 2023, the Ugandan ministry of finance and economic planning began making preparations to acquire the 50 MW Electromaxx Generation Plant at Tororo. An advance payment of US$7 million (USh:26 billion) was authorized, conditioned upon amendment of the power purchase agreement and the implementation agreement. The purchase deal was brokered by Evelyn Anite, Ugandan state minister for privatization.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 24 December 2014 . Kasita . Ibrahim . Electro-Maxx Switches On US$60 Million Power Plant . . Kampala . 28 November 2012.
  2. News: New Vision (Kampala) . Thermal Power Firm Lights Up Tororo . 23 June 2009 . 19 February 2010 . Ibrahim . Kasita . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141229235714/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/704971 . December 29, 2014 .
  3. News: New Vision (Kampala) . Tororo Thermal Plant To Be Commissioned In August . 21 December 2009 . 19 February 2010 . David . Ssempijja . Ibrahim . Kasita.
  4. News: New Vision (Kampala) . Electromaxx Tests 20MW Power Plant . 29 December 2009 . 19 February 2010 . Ibrahim . Kasita.
  5. Web site: 80MW More For The Grid . New Vision (Kampala) . 2 August 2012. 13 July 2014. Kalyango . Ronald.
  6. Web site: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Celebrating the Annual Manifest Week, From 12th to 19th May 2017 . Uganda Media Centre . Minenamd . Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (Uganda) . Kampala. 12 May 2017 . 5 September 2017.
  7. Web site: Uganda Radio Network . Heavy Fuel Electricity Could Return In 2014 As Demand Hits 12% . 22 January 2014 . 24 December 2014 . Mark Keith Muhumuza . Kampala, Uganda.
  8. Web site: . UETCL paid Electromaxx Shs3.6b for unsupplied power . 18 January 2021 . Christine Kasemiire . 18 January 2021 . Kampala.
  9. Web site: Gov't Gives Bitature Shs 26bn Advance Payment to Acquire Electromax Power Plant . ChimpReports . 4 January 2024 . Jackie Namatovu . 4 January 2024 . Kampala, Uganda.