The Dubai-based Access MEA will build a 10 megawatt plant in northern Uganda, taking part in one of the largest independent solar power projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The announcement comes after the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni visited Abu Dhabi this week to strengthen bilateral relations, which have steadily grown over the past five years.
“There’s never been a solar project like this in Uganda,” said Rene Meyer, the secretariat of Uganda’s GET FiT programme, a renewable energy financial mechanism catering to private investment. GET FiT, which only recently added solar power to its agenda, aims to usher in 20 small scale renewable projects each year.
“It’s been months in the making. We were quite fortunate that [we] had the lowest tariffs,” said Reda El Chaar, the Access Power MEA chairman. “There’s more money chasing projects [in the region] than actual projects.”
The company, through its subsidiary Access Uganda Solar, was chosen out of seven offers to build, own and operate the solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Soroti, 300 kilometres north-east of the capital Kampala. The US$17 million project, able to power 40,000 homes, will help to increase electrification rates to the country, where only 15 per cent of Ugandans have access to power, according to the World Bank.
It bid at a tariff of 16.38 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for a duration of 20 years, which Mr El Chaar noted was one of the lowest tariff rates in solar PV on the continent. Consumers will pay 11 cents per kWh while the GET FiT scheme will cover the remaining amount.
The World Bank has said the lack of power infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa hinders business productivity by about 40 per cent, adding that the impact of deficient infrastructure is at least as large as that associated with corruption, crime, and financial market and bureaucratic constraints.
For power projects to get under way in the region, typically new transmission lines must be built to expand grid capacity. The relatively small scale of Access’s project means there is no additional infrastructure that needs to be built.
“In addition to being quick to implement, solar projects can be built close to demand centres, thereby reducing transmission losses and stabilising the grid,” said Benon Mutambi, the chief executive of Uganda’s electricity regulatory authority.
Mr El Chaar said that a new trend was emerging in the continent with investors paying more attention to smaller scale projects – especially solar – to bypass the lack of infrastructure.
But to mitigate risk, a definitive timeline for project completion was vital, he said. “This is really the number one risk, and the GET FiT brought us that time certainty.”
Access plans to finish the financial deal by June and commence operations by the end of 2015.
In addition to bringing power to the rural, farming community in northern Uganda, the project could create hundreds of jobs in the Soroti district.
Mr El Chaar said the project could eventually economically support 80 to 100 households.
Access has finalised deals to build 30GW of power projects globally with a specific focus on the Middle East and African markets.
The company is looking to develop a portfolio of renewable energy projects in 15 countries in Africa. The company is also looking into projects in Saudi Arabia.
lgraves@thenational.ae
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE LIGHT
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Rating: 3/5
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Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
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Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets