Consulting services sought for Uganda-DRC Interconnector

The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program of the Nile Basin Initiative invites expressions of interest from consultants by 7 October to update the feasibility study report, detailed design and tender documents for the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo Power Interconnection Line Project.The contract will be financed by the African Development Bank.

The project consists of the construction of a high-voltage transmission line and associated substations at Beni, Butembo and Bunia and upgrade of the Nkenda substation.The 396km line will run from the existing Nkenda substation in Kasese in western Uganda to Bunia and Butembo via Beni in north- eastern DRC. At present, Nkenda substation is fed by a long, radial single-circuit 132kV line from Mutundwe near Kampala via Kabulasoke and the Nkonge substation.

An updated feasibility study report, design and tender documents are required as the previous feasibility study was completed in 2013, and needs to take into account the commissioning since then of various transmission line projects in Uganda such as the 220kV Kawanda-Masaka, Nkenda-Fort Portal-Hoima and Mbarara-Mirama lines and the 132kV Bujagali-Isimba, Mbarara-Nkenda and Kawanda-Kapeeka lines. The new transmission line is expected to have a capacity of 220kV or 400kV.Terms of reference can be downloaded from www.nelsap.nilebasin.org.

Contact: Elicad Elly Nyabeeya, Regional Coordinator, NELSAP-CU, PO Box 6759 Kigali, Rwanda. Tel: +250 788307334; E-mail: nelsapprocurement@nilebasin.org.