A power sales agreement (PSA) between Uganda and South Sudan was signed to increase electrical commerce between the two neighbors and socioeconomic development in the border towns of Oraba, Elegu, Kaya, and Nimule.
The Olwiyo substation in northern Uganda, which is already operating at 132kV, will be the source of electricity for the 400kV Olwiyo-Juba transmission line, which would distribute power to Juba.
Following a December 2015 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop transmission and distribution infrastructure to connect the two countries through the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Plan (Nelsap), a joint technical committee has been established to plan and coordinate the project's development.
According to the agreement, construction of the 308 km (138 km in South Sudan and 170 km in Uganda) 400kV Olwiyo-Juba power transmission line would be given priority. There will also be an expansion of the substations at Juba, Olwiyo, and Bibia (near the Elegu border post in Uganda).
The PSA was signed on Tuesday in Juba by Irene Bateebe, the Permanent Secretary of the Ugandan Energy Ministry, and Beck Awan Deng, the General Manager of the South Sudan Electricity Corporation (SSEC).
“Today's signing ceremony marks the beginning of serious cooperation in power trade between Uganda and South Sudan,” energy minister Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, who led the Ugandan delegation said.
Peter Marcello Jelenge, South Sudan representative, added, "We would like to see projects that benefit both the people of Uganda and South Sudan…We will take power from small towns in Uganda, such as Elegu and Oraba.”
The feasibility study, which started in March 2023 and is anticipated to be finished in February of the following year, is being carried out by a consortium made up of the Italian companies CESI S.p.A., ELC Electro Consult S.p.A., Colenco Consulting Ltd., and Colenco Consulting Ltd. of Nigeria.
African Development Bank (AfDB) has agreed to provide funding for feasibility studies for Uganda and South Sudan. AfDB will also provide project funding.