Active programme · Uganda
Energy for Economic Transformation — Uganda 1.5 GW Solar Programme
A private-sector-led initiative to deploy 1,500 MW of utility-scale solar across Uganda — diversifying a hydro-dominant grid, extending clean electricity access, unlocking regional exports through the East African Power Pool, and catalysing climate finance at scale.
Executive summary
Uganda's power mix is 92% renewable but 80% hydro — leaving the grid exposed to drought and climate variability, while only about 30% of Ugandans have reliable electricity. The EET programme deploys 1,500 MW of utility-scale solar to diversify supply, extend access, and build climate resilience, harnessing Uganda's abundant solar resource (≈2,408 sun-hours/year, with peak irradiance in the Karamoja sub-region).
The programme is structured as a bankable IPP pipeline: independent power producers design, finance, build, and operate the plants under long-term PPAs, while the public sector focuses on land, licensing, tariffs, and grid expansion.
Programme components
Flagship capacity in Karamoja
Anchor sites in the Moroto–Nakapiripirit corridor, where irradiance and grid-expansion plans align.
Regional grid integration
Full integration into the East African Power Pool, unlocking exports to Kenya, Rwanda, DRC, and South Sudan.
Bankable IPP pipeline
Feasibility, structuring, and preparation support for a private-sector-led project pipeline.
Enabling infrastructure
Grid upgrades, EV charging infrastructure, and workforce capacity building across the sector.
Investment & returns
- USD 0.5–1M preparatory facility for studies, structuring, and stakeholder engagement.
- USD 1.2–1.95B downstream construction — solar farms, grid upgrades, charging infrastructure, capacity building.
- Indicative IRR of 10–20% and payback of 6–10 years, benchmarked against comparable regional projects.
- Aligned with Uganda's Vision 2040, National Energy Policy 2023, and SDGs 7 & 13.
Get involved
Building Uganda's next generation of clean power — together.
We're actively engaging developers, financiers, and public-sector partners around the EET programme. If your organisation is exploring utility-scale solar, grid integration, or East African clean-energy exports, we'd love to talk.