Eight renewable energy projects in offing boost electricity supply

KAMPALA: The Electricity Regulatory Authority [ERA] yesterday announced that construction of eight renewable energy projects with a capacity a combined of capacity of 83.7MWs will commence later this year.

The ERA CEO, Benon Mutambi, said bidding for the eight projects Kakira Sugar (Bagase technology), Kikagati, Nyamwamba, Rwimi, Nengo Bridge, Waki, Siti 1and2-all hydro, under Global Energy Transfer for Feed-IN-Tariffs, [GETFIT] have been conducted and awarding of contracts underway.

“The existing supply from renewable energy sources is sufficient to meet the current demand,” he said, “These should be able to help us as an alternative to the heavy fuel based [thermal] plants which current produce up to 100MW,” but are expensive and must be dispatched only as last resort as demand continues to grow.

Government announced last week will spend Shs59.5 billion on thermal plants throughout the year to supplement current supply, money forked out of the energy fund.

The GETFIT scheme is an initiative that includes a premium in the range of 1-2 US $ cents per kilowatt hour on the renewable energy feed-in-tariff.

“The first tranche of [such] projects with a cumulative generation capacity of 150MW is being targeted to be brought into production within the next three years,” Mr Mutambi explained at a press briefing about ERA’ performance of last quarter.

Currently Uganda has close to 12 hydropower stations which produce up to 516MW against a projected peak demand of 503MW.

Once commissioned, Mr Mutambie expressed optimism, the renewable energy projects should be able to steer the economy to the time when the much-anticipated 600MW Karuma and Isimba dams will be completed.

“The second round of bidding for the remaining capacity of 67MW was initiated late last year, and more renewable energy projects are expected to qualify for the GETFIT premium,” he said.

Renewable energy usually comes from resources which are cyclically refilled such as geothermal, Biomass, and wind.

ERA also announced that five permits feasibility permits have been issued out to companies to facilitate the undertaking of detailed studies for prospected development of a combined capacity of 99MW of grid connected Solar [photovoltaic] power in various parts of the country.

Five additional permits have been issued for prospected development of 33.7MW of small hydropower plants.

Two contractors, LTL Holdings and Sesam Energetics Ltd, lost licences for 3MW small hydro power and Biomas projects, respectively.

Side Bar

ERA also announced had reviewed the West Nile Rural Electrification Company Ltd (WENRECO) tariff applications from Shs366.6 to Shs4404 for commercial and Shs420.2 to Shs433.6 per kilowatt hour, respectively.

Law on Data protection and privacy in offing-gov’t

KAMPALA: The government has said propositions for a law protecting data have been approved and ICT minister, John Nasasira, has been sanctioned to issue drafting instructions to the first parliamentary counsel to draft the Data Protection and Privacy Bill 2014.

Briefing journalists yesterday, the Information minister Rosemary Namayanja, said, Cabinet Wednesday approved principles for the bill, to safe guard interests of individuals whose information or data is collected by government, public institutions and private entities.

“There has been no law to safeguard the data collected or to ensure that it is used only for purposes for which it was intended,” she said, “In many cases the data collected is of a personal nature which may easily be misused in the absence of the legal framework to govern and integrity and circumstances relating to the use, storage and processing of data.”

The mooted law comes handy when personal data belonging to over 1 million customers is in the hands of foreign telecommunications companies, with whom they were mandated to register during the bungled Sim Card registration exercise.

Critics, who subsequently dragged the communications regulator, UCC, to Court to delay the switching off of unregistered simcard holders, had argued that the lack of data protection law in the country was a hazard to privacy and freedom of speech.

Section 3 of the 2010 Regulation of Interception of Communications Act, which permitted Sim Card registration, hints on the establishment of a data monitoring center by the ICT minister, which shall store customer’s information, but does not guarantee safety of the information.

This according to Ms Cathy Anite, a legal expert was a violation of article 27 of the Constitution which guarantees right to privacy of a person, and other property

But Ms Namayanja argued the Bill is to give effect to article 27 by providing for protection of private and personal data.

“It will ensure that the rights of individuals during data collection and processing are upheld against the threats and attacks capable of compromising the rights of information,” she maintained.

Side bar

A report by Unwanted Witness released early this week accused government of investing heavily in monitoring devices to listen in, track and follow private conversation of both computers and hand held devices, and appealed for a law on privacy.

Gov’t reviewing Rwanda’ request to extradite 7 asylum seekers

KAMPALA: The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees has said is reviewing a request made by Rwandan authorities to extradite seven asylum seekers but Police through which the demand was supposedly made have denied any of such an application from Kigali.

The junior minister for Refugees, Musa Ecweru, said last week, it’s true Rwanda made a formal request seeking extradition of 7 refugees.

He said: “We are in process of reviewing the request and i wrote to the Internal Affairs minister inquiring details of the persons in question and if they actually enjoy refugee status in Uganda or not.”

This newspaper reported January 15 that Interpol Rwanda had written to Uganda police to extradite seven Rwandan refugees.

Police deny

Police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, said was “not aware” and referred the matter to Interpol director Asan Kasingye.

Mr Kasigye on telephone maintained: “We have never received such a request and I don’t know about it.”

But Mr Ecweru, said “the review is to ensure we don’t repeat Mutabazi’ case and to ensure [if any] extradition lies within the context of International law.”

The Rwanda Police boss, Gen. Emmanuel Gasana, at a recent regional Police Workshop asked President Museveni whether it is possible to extradite people whom he said run away from prosecution and seek refuge in other countries on claim that they are political victims-and later defended by UNCHR and other NGOs.

UN concerned

 The UN refugee agency on weekend said it was baffled by Rwanda’ request to repatriate the refugees and urged government to ensure safety of Rwandan asylum seekers on Ugandan soil and not to breach again the principles international law--which protect refugees from being returned to places where their lives or could be endangered.

UNHCR spokesperson for the Great Lakes region, Kitty McKinsey, advised “Uganda to take such necessary measures to ensure the protection of refugees and asylum seekers on its territory and to respect the principles of International law of refugees.”

Neither UNHCR nor Rwanda did provide details of the asylum seekers in question.

Side bar

Late last year Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s ex-bodyguard, Lt Joel Mutabazi, long sought by Kigali but had taken refuge in the country was captured by Police, handed over to Rwandan authorities across the boarder and has since been charged for terrorism  in a Military tribunal.

Rights body pins gov’t on abetting human rights violation in Karamoja

KAMPALA: A rights body yesterday called upon government to immediately review mining activities in the Karamoja sub-region to check the escalating cases of land grabbing, exploitation and evictions from mineral rich lands.

Releasing a report titled “How Can We Survive Here” documenting the impact of gold mining on people’ lives in North East Uganda, Human Rights Watch (HRW), said, the local inhabitants whose population is estimated at 1.2 million have become ‘second class citizens’ and are increasingly exploited by private investors—an issue government has kept silent about.

“Government has sold off a huge part of Karamoja to private investors and the situation is becoming increasingly difficult,” Ms Maria Burnett, a senior researcher at the New York based group, noted. “Yet the extent to which people are not benefiting from these activities is much bigger than what we know.”

The districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Napak which make up the Karamoja region are believed to contain considerable deposits of minerals like gold, precious stones-marble.

But State minister for Karamoja affairs, Barbara Nekesa, dismissed the findings as far-fetched.

“All activities in the region are documented and government is aware of whatever is happening, Ms Nekesa added, “If government or investor wants land there are due procedures, which we actually follow in line with the law.”  

HRW stated that several extractive companies have gone to the area in the past two years and government has massively accelerated licencing of companies to conduct exploration and mining operations—a more than 700 percent increase between the years 2003-2011.

Ms Burnett maintained that, “this has happened yet government’ ability to support and educate affected communities, monitor the companies’ operations in a politically and economically marginalised region, lags behind.”

The region is represented in Cabinet by First Lady, Janet Kataha Museveni.

The head of miners--Karamoja miners association, Mr Simon Nangiro, buttressed the findings, adding “the situation is so appalling. Local leaders, the few elites and politicians are conniving with the companies.”

Mr Nangiro, narrated a current scenario where one Indian owned company, Jan Mangal, operating in Moroto, sealed off more than 64 square kilometers for gold exploration, including a river used by several communities.

Attempts to speak to officials from the company were futile by press time. Other companies implicated include East African Mining which started gold mining in Kaabong without informing local communities and DAO.

The report also cited presence UPDF personnel at mining areas of some companies creating more fear in the populace, who are predominately pastoralists.

Side bar

Karamoja has repeated suffered bouts of violence and insecurity and according to HRW has the highest rate of childhood malnutrition and poverty in the country.

Ugandans travelling to UK to pay for Visas online

This is meant to cut costs in the management of the visas operation, according to a press statement by Mr Samuel Paice, the Consul and Head of Communications at the British High Commission in Uganda dated February 4.

It is also meant to “reduce the risk associated with handling large amounts of cash”.

Previously, only the application process had to be done online.

Applicants now have to use either their Visa or MasterCard credit and debit cards or the Skrill e-wallet computer application to pay for the visas.

Mr Paice said: “The move to online application and payments will deliver a streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend towards online transactions and payments.”

Critics say the move could make it harder for more Ugandans to travel to the UK because, one, few have such cards and two; access to the Internet is still limited to mainly a few urban centres with cheaper and reliable Internet connection.

According to the Visa Group Africa 2011 figures, 700, 000 of the 34 million Ugandans have visa credit cards compared with about 3, 000, 000 in Kenya, which has a population of 40 million people.

The group said then that the uptake of these cards is on the rise because of among, other reasons, the online discounts that the card providers offer.

Mr Paice the UK’s decision to consider online payment for visas would “help cut costs in the management of the visas operation, which in turn helps to keep visa fees down”.

The new policy comes against the background plans last year to have the applicants deposit about Shs10 million with the high commission to prove that they (applicants) would return to Uganda upon the completion of either their studies or visit.

In the region, the deposit is already being required of Kenyans who intend to travel to the UK; Kenyans have to deposit KShs400, 000 (Shs12 million).

Critics say such moves are in response to the ever-increasing number of applicants seeking visas to the West in pursuit of greener pastures.

Sidebar

Shs360, 000 – cost of a visa to the UK

Gov’t, Oil companies reach deal on crude production

KAMPALA: The government has reached deal with foreign Oil companies on the framework of commencing commercial crude oil production in the Albertine Graben.

By 7pm yesterday, officials from the ministry of Energy, Finance, Attorney General and Solicitor General, were locked up in meeting at State House in Entebbe ostensibly to sign a memorandum of understanding spelling out the road map to start producing the 3.5 billion oil barrels--1.2 billion recoverable from ground, expected to start in “2018”.

Also present in the meeting presided over by President Museveni were top chief executives of; UK’ Tullow Oil PLC, China’ National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and France’ Total S.A.

It remained however unknown whether the MOU was signed but Energy minister, Irene Muloni, at a public function recently had maintained that: “Negotiations about the MOU are now fully complete and we anticipate its signing very soon. This is a significant milestone since the market framework is critical for the commitment of project financing.”

 Energy ministry officials acknowledged progress of the meeting with the Presidency but remained tight lipped about the developments.

Insiders in government on anonymity intimated that, “all [previously] disputed clauses had been harnessed to a 90 percent level and the remaining percentage would not hold back such a milestone. What now is remaining are the signatures."

Oil Company officials outside the meeting equally declined to discuss anything on the matter before knowing fully the MOU has been signed while Presidential Press Secretary, Linda Nabusayi, could not be immediately reached by phone.

The MOU was envisaged in 2012 but negotiations thereafter hit gridlock over three clauses on, [oil] infrastructure, stabilisation [clause] and development of oil fields.

It  details a value chain in which the upstream production will feed into an optimally-sized refinery, a crude export pipeline between Hoima and Lamu [corridor in Kenya] and a crude to power plant for electricity generation ]expected] to produce up to 5OMegawatts in Phase 1.

Plans to construct a midsize 30,000 barrels-per-day refinery at $3 billion are ongoing in Hoima district to reduce on the importation of oil products estimated at 15percent of all imports at 400 million dollars per year.

No progress has however been reported on the oil export pipeline project.

Government recently awarded Cnooc with a $2 billion production licence for Kingfisher field estimated to hold 635 million barrels, of which 196 million barrels are recoverable.

Side bar

10 production licence applications from Total and Tullow are currently under review.