Isimba Power Station

Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station
Map of Uganda showing the location of Isimba.
Country	Uganda
Location	Isimba, Kamuli District
Coordinates	00°47′30″N 33°02′11″E / 0.79167°N 33.03639°E / 0.79167; 33.03639Coordinates: 00°47′30″N 33°02′11″E / 0.79167°N 33.03639°E / 0.79167; 33.03639
Purpose	Power
Status	Under construction
Opening date	2016 (Expected)
Construction cost	US$590 million
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Victoria Nile
Power station
Turbines	4 x 45.8 MW
Installed capacity	183.2 MW
Annual generation	1,039 GWh

Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station is a 183.2 megawatts (245,700 hp) hydroelectric power project under construction in Uganda.

The power station is located at the village of Isimba on the Victoria Nile, in Kamuli District. This is approximately 44 kilometres (27 mi), by road, north of the Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station.

The contract for a feasibility study and preparation of tender documents, worth US $3.8 million, was awarded to a consortium consisting of the engineering firms Fichtner (lead) and Norplan. A local Ugandan company, Kagga & Partners, was a sub-consultant to the consortium. Initial planned capacity at Isimba was to be at least 100 megawatts (130,000 hp).

In July 2013, Ugandan media reported that the construction contract had been awarded to the China International Water & Electric Corporation, a Chinese government-owned power company. The generation capacity had been increased to 183.2 megawatts. Construction is expected to last 34 months.

The total project cost was originally estimated at US $350 million. In 2008, the Ugandan government secured a loan from Exim Bank of India to fund the construction. In April 2013, Ugandan print media reported that the government of India had extended a credit line worth US $450 million (about UGX:1.1 trillion) for construction of the dam.

In July 2013, media reports indicated that the cost of the dam had risen to US $570 million (about UGX:1.4 trillion), funded by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. In March 2015, the Ugandan Parliament authorized the Ugandan government to borrow US$482.5 million (about UGX:1.4 trillion) from China Exim Bank at 2 percent annual interest repayable over 20 years, with a five-year grace period. Uganda will contribute the remaining US$107 million to the project, for a total cost of US$589.5 million. A new 132 kilovolt transmission line will be constructed to evacuate the generated power and integrate it into the national grid at the Bujagali Power Station.