Kanungu Hydroelectric Power Station


Kanungu Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Ishasha River in Uganda. The station is sometimes referred to as the Ishasha Power Station.

Location

The power station is in the Kanyantorogo sub-county of Kanungu District in southwestern Uganda, about by road from the district headquarters in the town of Kanungu, although the straight air distance is only about. The geographical coordinates of the power station are: 0°52'53.0"S, 29°40'14.0"E.
The dam and weir on the Ishasha River are downstream from the boundary of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A penstock takes water downstream to the twin-Francis turbine power station, for a rated head of. A tailrace then takes water from the power station and returns it to the Ishasha River. Provision has been made for an open-pipe flow of 250 liters per second into the section of the river between the dam and the tailrace to ensure that local fish species are not adversely affected. A, 33 kiloVolt transmission line connects the power station to the national grid.

History

The power station was constructed by Eco Power Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Eco Power Holdings Limited of Sri-Lanka. Construction was completed in March 2011. The power plant was technically commissioned on 18 March 2011. Political commissioning was performed on 22 November 2011. The plant is expected to support development of industries and stimulate other areas of investment in Kanungu and the surrounding rural areas, including parts of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Construction costs

The estimated cost of the dam and power plant is approximately UGX:40 billion. Funding was provided by three Sri-Lankan financial institutions: National Development Bank of Sri-Lanka, Hatton National Bank, and Commercial Bank of Sri-Lanka.