The last unit of the Karuma hydropower project has been synchronised to the national grid, although the project has to meet certain conditions before it is fully commissioned.

The synchronization of unit five becomes the sixth unit to pass the test since the first unit was connected to the grid in March 2023.

Government has tasked the developer, China’s Sinohydro, to fix all the defects before the project is commissioned. The imminent commissioning of the 600MW Karuma hydropower project will make it the biggest energy plant in Uganda. Each of the six units has a capacity of 100MW.

The synchronisation of the last unit nearly brings to an end a more-than-10- year period of construction, which started in August 2013.

The Karuma project has one of the lowest tariffs in the market, at US cents 4.97/kWh, for the first 10 years. The tariff will drop gradually thereafter.