Kanungu Hydroelectric Power Station : Location, History Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kanungu Hydroelectric Power Station

Dam in Kanungu District, Uganda

Dam in Kanungu, Kanungu District

00°52′53″S 29°40′14″E / 0.88139°S 29.67056°E / -0.88139; 29.67056PurposePowerStatusOperationalOpening date18 March 2011Owner(s)Eco Power Private LimitedOperator(s)Eco Power Private LimitedDam and spillwaysImpoundsIshasha RiverCommission date18 March 2011Installed capacity6.6 megawatts (8,900 hp)

Kanungu Power Station is a 6.6 megawatts (8,900 hp) run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Ishasha River in Uganda.^[1] The station is sometimes referred to as the Ishasha Power Station.^[2]^[3]

Location

The power station is in the Kanyantorogo sub-county of Kanungu District in southwestern Uganda, about 34 kilometres (21 mi) by road from the district headquarters in the town of Kanungu, although the straight air distance is only about 12 kilometres (7 mi).^[4] The geographical coordinates of the power station are: 0°52'53.0"S, 29°40'14.0"E (Latitude:-0.881389; Longitude:29.670556).^[5]

The dam and weir on the Ishasha River are 500 metres (1,600 ft) downstream from the boundary of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.^[5] A 1,140 metres (3,740 ft) penstock takes water downstream to the twin-Francis turbine power station,^[5] for a rated head of 91 metres (299 ft). A tailrace then takes water from the power station and returns it to the Ishasha River. Provision has been made for an open-pipe flow of 250 liters per second into the section of the river between the dam and the tailrace to ensure that local fish species are not adversely affected.^[6] A 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), 33 kiloVolt transmission line connects the power station to the national grid.^[6]

History

The power station was constructed by Eco Power Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Eco Power Holdings Limited of Sri Lanka. Construction was completed in March 2011.^[3] The power plant was technically commissioned on 18 March 2011.^[3] Political commissioning was performed on 22 November 2011.^[1] The plant is expected to support development of industries and stimulate other areas of investment in Kanungu and the surrounding rural areas, including parts of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Rumanzi, Perez (22 November 2011). "Kanungu mini-hydro dam starts work today amid power outages". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
^ Oluka, Benon Herbert (6 April 2010). "Uganda's energy relief still a long way". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Baraire, Patson (20 March 2011). "Ishasha dam boosts grid supply". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^ Globefeed.com (9 June 2018). "Distance between Ntungamo, Kanungu, Uganda and Kanungu, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Google (9 June 2018). "Location of Kanungu Hydroelectric Power Station, Kanungu District, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b UNFCC (8 October 2014). "Ishasha 6.6 MW Small Hydropower Project: Project design document" (PDF). New York City: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Retrieved 9 June 2018.