MPs recommend establishment of an independent technical team to Isimba Hydro Power project
Construction of this dam began in April 2015 and was completed in January 2019.
Parliament has adopted a report by the committee on environment and natural resources, recommending the establishment of an independent technical evaluation team for Isimba Hydro Power project to ascertain its integrity.
The decision was made during Thursday’s plenary sitting chaired by the deputy speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa, in which the committee chairperson Dr. Emmanuel Otaala presented the report.
Otaala noted that after last year’s flooding of the dam, this required an emergency shutdown to protect the equipment and power house facility so as save staff on site.
“There is a need to put in place an independent technical evaluation team, for the Isimba hydro power project to ascertain the integrity of the project, before the facility is fully handed over to the government,” he said.
Further Otaala explained that the periodic extensions for the project completion date for over four years and the recent flooding of the power house, continue to cast doubt on the overall integrity of the dam structure, and whether the project will be able to operate optimally.
He added that on behalf of the committee, they recommend that the contractor should be penalized for non performance as per the contract.
Following the shut down, there were country wide blackouts which caused anxiety. It is upon this matter that the speaker referred the committee on environment and natural resources to carry out further investigations into the matter.
Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station is a 183.2 megawatts hydroelectric power station commissioned on 21 March 2019 in Uganda.
Construction of this dam began in April 2015 and was completed in January 2019.
