A Power Sales Agreement (PSA) was signed by the governments of South Sudan and Uganda to increase power trade between the two nations and foster socioeconomic growth in the border towns of Oraba, Elegu, Kaya, and Nimule.
The power for the 400kV Olwiyo-Juba transmission line will come from the Olwiyo substation, which is already operational at 132kV.
Following a December 2015 Memorandum of Understanding to develop transmission and distribution infrastructure to connect the two countries, a joint technical committee has been formed to plan and coordinate the project’s development.
The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Plan (NELSAP) was mandated in the MoU signed between Uganda and South Sudan to coordinate the joint development of the transmission line.
This cooperation is expected to enhance regional productivity and support security along the border towns. The two countries also collaborate in the power distribution segment, where distribution networks have already been constructed in the Uganda-South Sudan border towns of Nimule and Kaya.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the agreement will prioritise the development of a 308-kilometer-long 400kV Olwiyo-Juba power transmission line (138 kilometres in Uganda and 170 kilometres in South Sudan) to facilitate power exchange between the two countries. The 400kV power substations of Olwiyo and Bibia (near Uganda’s Elegu border post), as well as the Juba Substation, will be expanded.
Irene Bateebe, Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Energy Ministry, signed the PSA on Tuesday on behalf of Uganda, while Beck Awan Deng, General Manager of South Sudan Electricity Corporation (SSEC), signed on behalf of his country.
“Today’s signing ceremony marks the beginning of serious cooperation in power trade between Uganda and South Sudan,” said Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, who led the Uganda Government delegation to Juba for the execution.
Peter Marcello Jelenge, who represented the South Sudan government, stated, “We would like to see projects that benefit both the people of Uganda and South Sudan… We will seize power from Ugandan small towns like Elegu and Oraba.”
Similarly, Uganda will supply power to the people of Nimule and Kaya in South Sudan.
A consortium of CESI S.p.A (Italy), ELC Electro Consult S.p.A. Colenco Consulting Ltd (Italy), and Colenco Consulting Ltd (Nigeria) has been hired to conduct the feasibility study, which began in March 2023 and is expected to be completed in February 2024.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), which will also finance the project based on EPC or Public Private Partnership, has agreed to provide funding for feasibility studies for Uganda and South Sudan.