China’s Sinohydro discusses building $180m power transfer in Uganda

Uganda and the Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation Limited are in talks to establish a $180 million power transmission line aimed at enabling the African country to supply electricity to energy-deprived South Sudan, according to a statement from the president’s office, reported by Reuters.

During these discussions, a delegation headed by Yang Yi Xin, Vice President of Sinohydro Corporation, met with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Monday, as per a statement released by Museveni’s office later that day.

The project entails the construction of a 138-kilometer (approximately 85.75 miles) high-voltage transmission line to facilitate the transfer of power to South Sudan, along with the expansion of two existing substations and the establishment of a new one, the statement elaborated.

Xin conveyed the company’s willingness to contribute to the project’s development, including providing necessary financial assistance if required, as quoted in the statement to the president. Meanwhile, the statement added that Museveni expressed his backing for Sinohydro’s proposal to spearhead the project.

Last June, the two nations inked a power sales agreement to authorise Uganda to supply electricity to South Sudan.

Furthermore, the Chinese firm is in the final stages of a $1.5 billion, 600-megawatt hydropower project on the River Nile in northern Uganda, intended to serve as the primary source for electricity exports to South Sudan.