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Increasing the generation of electrical power is a major priority for Uganda. This was told to a T&T energy trade mission, led by Thackwray Driver, chief executive officer of the Energy Chamber, now visiting East Africa. As part of daily updates on the mission, Driver, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the mission met with Aston Kajara, Uganda’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. On Tuesday—day two—the mission, accompanied by High Commissioner Patrick Edwards, met with Kajara and officials of the Uganda Investment Authority.

Currently, only around three of Uganda’s 33 million people are supplied by electricity to their homes. With a population some 25 times higher, Uganda has an installed capacity of only roughly one-quarter that of T&T, Driver stated. “To date, hydro-electricity has supplied the bulk of the nation’s electricity supply. Later in the day, members of the mission visited the Jinja hydro-electricity project some 56 kilometres east of Kampala at the source of the Nile River.

Significant oil resources

“With the development of significant new oil resources and some gas, Uganda is now expecting oil or gas-fired thermal stations to play an increasing role in the delivery of new capacity for the planned expansion of the electricity supply,” Driver reported. He said the major exploration company operating in Uganda, Tullow Energy, has had a clear strategy of exploring for oil: nobody has yet taken a hard look for potential gas reservoirs. “In a follow-up meeting with Tullow Energy earlier in the days, members of the delegation explored in more detail the company’s needs for contractors, suppliers and service companies. “There is significant opportunity for members of the trade mission to secure contracts in these areas.

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LatinPetroleum.com, www.latinpetroleum.com, Trinidad and Tobago-Uganda news, 22.July.2010, Source: Trinidad Guardian