The governments of South Sudan and Uganda, in collaboration with the Nile Basin Initiative, have secured major funding from the African Development Fund (AfDB) and European Union (EU) to advance the South Sudan-Uganda Power Interconnection Project.
The AfDB has committed USD155 million in loans and grants, while the EU will provide an additional grant of USD27.1 million. The project had been facing delays due to financial obstacles and logistical issues pushing the completion date to 2028. The total project cost has also increased to approximately USD260 million, which is higher than Uganda’s initial projection of USD164.7 million. The cross-border infrastructure project includes construction of 299-km, 400 kV D/C transmission line, spanning 149 km from Gumbo in Juba, South Sudan to the Uganda border, and 150 km from the border to the Olwiyo substation via the new Bibia substation in Uganda. It further includes construction of a new 400/132/33 kV substation in Gumbo and expansion of the Karuma substation, both in Uganda, and upgrade of the Olwiyo substation from 132/33 kV to 400/132/33 kV.