Kiba Hydroelectric Power Station

Kiba Hydroelectric Power Station is a proposed 295 MW hydroelectric power station in Uganda.

Location
The power station would be located on the Nile River, downstream of Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station, but upstream of Murchison Falls. This location is in Nwoya District, in the Northern Region of Uganda, approximately 35 km, upstream of the boundary of Murchison Falls National Park.

Kiba is approximately 758 m, above sea level, and marks the point where the Kiba River enters the Nile.

Overview
The government of Uganda commissioned a study, titled Project for Master Plan Study on Hydropower Development in the Republic of Uganda, that was conducted by Electric Power Development Company Limited and Nippon Koei Company Limited, which was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in 2009. In the report of that study, published in 2011, three large hydroelectric power stations were identified for immediate development, in the 2013 to 2023 time-frame, namely Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station, Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station and Ayago Hydroelectric Power Station. Two other stations were identified for development in the medium term, after the first three, namely Oriang Hydroelectric Power Station (400 megawatts), and Kiba Power Station (initially 200 megawatts).

Project development
On 27 May 2015 the government of Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Africa Investment and Development Company (CAIDC), calling for a detailed feasibility study that would lead to a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement for the Kiba Hydroelectric Power Project and the associated transmission line works. In July 2017, more than two years from the MoU, with no tangible progress, the Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development terminated the MoU. If this dam is to be built, a new investor will have to be sourced.

In May 2024, PowerChina, through its subsidiary Sinohydro, indicated willingness to work with the government of Uganda to develop this power station.

Other considerations
The JICA report outlined a possible phased approach, where the power station was to be built over a number of years and commissioned in phases, to conserve resources and avoid building over-capacity.