Posted on :Monday , 29th December 2014

 Uganda announced that our foreign and domestic firms would build two solar power plants, with a total capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) as it seeks to develop its renewable energy potential.

Keen on expanding its capacity to support an industrialization drive, the east African country is currently pursuing several multi-billion-dollar projects. Officials previously said the government was also looking for investors to develop solar energy and other renewable sources of power such as biomass, waste energy, geothermal and wind power.

The state-run Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) said the two solar plants would be established in the Soroti and Tororo districts, in Uganda's eastern region, at a combined cost of $32.5 million.

A consortium of Access Power MEA, of the United Arab Emirates, and Spain's TSK Electronica will invest $17 million in a plant that will generate 10 MW of electricity.

A second consortium of Italian firm Building Energy Spa and Uganda's Simba Telecom Ltd. plans to invest $15.5 million to develop the second plant with a similar capacity.

Access Power MEA's managing director, Stephane Bontemps, said in a statement the project was expected to secure funds next June and start commercial operations by December.