Ayago Hydroelectric Power Station


Ayago Hydroelectric Power Station, also Ayago Power Station, is a planned hydroelectric power project to be constructed in Uganda.

Location

The power station will be located at Ayago, on the Victoria Nile, in Nwoya District, in the Acholi sub-region, in the Northern Region of Uganda. This location is close to the point where the Ayago River enters the Victoria Nile, within the confines of Murchison Falls National Park.

Overview

Ayago Power Station is a proposed hydroelectric power plant that will be constructed on the Victoria Nile, downstream of Karuma Power Station, but upstream of Murchison Falls. The project will be developed in two simultaneous phases, known as Ayago North and Ayago South. The Ayago Power Station is one of three hydropower projects that have been earmarked for immediate development, together with Karuma Power Station and Isimba Power Station, to mitigate the chronic, recalcitrant power shortages that have plagued Uganda since the 1990s, and to meet the projected national requirement of 1,130MW by 2023.

Construction costs

The Indian state-owned energy and manufacturing company, BHEL, had estimated the cost of the project at about US$350 in 2007. But that was for a project with planned capacity of 200MW to 300MW, back in 2007.
In 2008, the Government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, in collaboration with the Government of Uganda, began new preparations for fresh environmental impact assessments, International bidding for a contractor and commitment as a lead funding source for the project.
In April 2013, the Government of Uganda awarded the US$1.9 billion construction contract to Mapa Construction and Trading Company Inc., a Turkish infrastructure construction company. However, in August 2013, that award was rescinded and the construction contract was awarded to China Gezhouba Construction Company. It is anticipated that construction would begin in 2020, and last approximately 66 months.