Abstract

The portfolio of energy in Uganda has undergone shocks of recent. On the one hand, development partners and other stakeholders under government leadership have over time planned for its reform and growth, albeit some foreseen capital developments have not materialized, owing to a combination of unfortunate factors. The ultimate result has been to lead users into a crisis of more frequent power cuts during the night, and, commencement of daytime load-shedding, further undermining producti- vity and the economy at large. Business Services Primer has in the past variously presented articles on the sector, and, would now like to ponder what urgent measures can be taken toward alleviating the impasse.

Primarily, its our considered view that renewable sources of energy may offer some relief, considering that they can be selectively adopted across a wide section of the population, possibly resulting in a noticeable aggregate impact. To further demonstrate the place they hold on the global arena, a few recent highlights across the world are cited, some in Africa.

Beyond renewable forms, we mention potential solutions from hydropower pools in sub-regions and the benefits that could accrue, subject to parties involved reaching a consensus. Some of these possibilities can be implemented with the existing infrastructure, not to mention the relatively limited effort and timeframe to hook on to the one across Africa. Another idea floated is one of classifying consumers by demand with a view to getting large industrial users to operate in least demand periods through appropriate demand side management modalities. Prioritizing development of Bujagali is emphasized.

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