Parliament has this afternoon tasked the Minister of Energy, Ruth Nankabirwa, to explain why the government plans to buy electricity from Kenya.
On Monday, the cabinet approved the import of 60 megawatts of electricity from Kenya to support the national grid following the shutdown of the Isimba dam.
While presenting a statement to Parliament on the emergency total shutdown of the Isimba dam, Nankabirwa said that the cause of the total shutdown at the Isimba power plant was a trigger of dam safety procedures to ensure dam safety, the safety of staff, and protection of equipment.
She further revealed that UEGCL will restore power production at the Isimba dam within three weeks.
“Testing of the plant has commenced today,” she said.
However, Kimaanya-Kabonera MP Abed Bwanika tasked the minister to explain why the government wants to import electricity yet they claim to produce excess.
“If a dam that generates 183MW breaks down when we have excess power, then there is no way the minister can come to Parliament to tell us that we are importing power from Kenya because of the situation in Isimba,” said Bwanika.
In response, Nankabirwa said, “It is not excess per se because the people of Kiboga still need power. But it is excess because we are not using it. “
MP Lillian Aber said that the biggest concern is the suppliers that the Ministry of Energy normally gives work to.
“You need to take a keen interest in the fact that we give contracts to people who do not have the capacity to deliver,” she said.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, directed the Committee on Natural Resources to investigate matters regarding the Isimba power plant and report back in three weeks.