Africa-Press – Uganda. The government is yet to determine the power tariffs for the operation of the submarine power cable, the power supplier has revealed.
The submarine power cable, which is laid at the bottom of Lake Victoria, connects Kalangala Island to the mainland via Bukakata in Masaka District.
The power supplier under Kalangala Infrastructure Services (KIS) said the delay to determine the tariffs has stalled the commissioning of the project.
It added that the Electricity Regulatory Authority is determining the tariffs.
In an interview at the weekend, Mr Joseph Mulindwa, the KIS spokesperson, said: “The laying of the submarine power cable is complete but the power regulator (ERA) is not yet through with the setting of the new tariffs. The Energy minister will soon commission the power for the potential customers.”
The 7km submarine power cable, which is laid at the bottom of Lake Victoria, is supposed to supply 33 kilovolts of power to the sub-counties of Buggala and Bugoma.
More than 33,000 households, including industries, are set to benefit from the project, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
Hopeful
KIS hopes that the flat tariff structure, where both the domestic and commercial customers have been charged at a fixed price per kilowatt consumed, could see a shift in power usage if the tariffs are low.
“Joining the flat tariff structure under which we are currently opening to the mainland power grid means that the power tariff has to be restructured to have the off pick tariffs that favour heavy commercial customers,” Mr Mulindwa said.
In Kalangala, the electricity consumers currently experience a five-hour load shedding between 12am and 5am daily.
However, stakeholders are optimistic that the submarine power cable will provide better and stable power supply.
Mr Rajab Ssemakula, the Kalangala LC5 chairperson, said residents, including investors, are hoping for business and home user-friendly tariffs.
“Kalangala has for long battled high power tariffs in areas that have the power. We have lost potential investors who could not withstand the high power tariffs. They chose to shift their investments to areas with favourable power tariffs,” he said.
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