Scary News about the Power Supply Situation

I have been lucky. The area I live in is not affected by the regular load shedding, which the rest of the country has to suffer from. Furthermore, the apartement house I live in has its own generator. Thus, I only experience power cuts for seconds. However, I know that the power supply is not guaranteed at all. I had already read terrifying reports on the increasing demand and the impossibilty to raise the power supply. But when they have to close the dam, then the shit hits the fan...

I do not understand why nobody does something to significantly improve the situation. Without power, no industrialisation is possible. Sorry to say, but in this case, I would put economic requirements before ecological concerns...


"Dam faces closure

NALUBALE (Owen Falls Dam) in Jinja faces closure following intensive cracks developing at the power generation plant. Uganda Electricity Generation Company civil engineer Moses Kayizzi said the cracks caused by a reaction between water and cement had rendered the power generation plant weaker. “The phenomenon cannot be reversed as water continues to react with cement. The resultant pressure is so big that it forces the machines to move upwards creating cracks. If this continues, we might have to shut down,” he said. Kayizzi told the Parliament natural resources committee and state minister for energy Michael Werikhe that the dam might collapse in future. The MPs were touring Nalubale dam and Kiira power station on Thursday. Kayizzi said another power station was urgently needed or else the country would face a blackout. The tour followed allegations that the extension of Kiira power station was draining water from Lake Victoria. The MPs also wanted to assess the urgency of the need of building another station."

By Esther Mukyala
Published on: Friday, 18th February, 2005 in The New Vision
SOURCE: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/418896