Uganda–South Sudan power project enters implementation

Uganda has begun implementing a $254 million South Sudan–Uganda power interconnection project, funded by the African Development Fund and the European Union, to connect the electricity grids of the two countries.

Uganda technically launched its component of the South Sudan–Uganda Power Interconnection Project on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

The project will establish about 299 kilometres of 400-kilovolt transmission lines between Olwiyo in northern Uganda and Gumbo near Juba.

The African Development Fund is financing Uganda’s component, while the European Union is supporting the South Sudan side of the project.

The connection is expected to allow South Sudan to import electricity from Uganda while giving Uganda access to a new regional market for surplus power.

Uganda’s Ministry of Energy Assistant Commissioner for Electricity Supply, Edward Baleke, told Ugandan press that the project is also about regional energy security.

“It is a case of energy security where you have power trading,” the Ugandan Daily Monitor cited him as saying.

The project is expected to connect South Sudan to the Eastern Africa Power Pool, allowing participating countries to trade electricity depending on supply and demand.

For South Sudan, the connection could reduce dependence on diesel-powered generation, which currently supplies much of the country’s limited electricity.

Baba Fatajo, an African Development Bank power systems officer involved in the project, says South Sudan could access cheaper electricity from Uganda while Uganda gets a market for excess generation.

“South Sudan is really struggling to have a reliable supply of electricity, which is very expensive because they depend on diesel.”

Uganda’s share of the project is valued at about $121 million, while the South Sudan component is estimated at around $133 million.

On the Ugandan side, the project includes about 150 kilometres of transmission line, a new substation at Bibia, an upgrade of the Olwiyo substation and an extension of the Karuma substation.

The project is being implemented by the two governments with coordination from the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit, NELSAP-CU.

The technical launch marks the beginning of the implementation phase. The next steps include procurement of contractors and consultants, environmental and social safeguards, land acquisition and resettlement.

Ugandan officials expect implementation to run from 2026 to 2029.

For South Sudan, the project is expected to provide access to a potentially more reliable source of electricity. Regionally, it will establish another link in the Eastern Africa Power Pool and support cross-border electricity trading.