Thousands of electricity consumers along the Masaka Road corridor can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) commissioned new integration power lines, bringing an end to years of crippling power outages that had choked businesses and frustrated households.
The newly commissioned lines, which draw power from the massive Maya 220kV/132kV/33kV Substation, now feed into the previously overstretched Mitala Maria and Mutundwe-1 33kV feeders. The result is an immediate improvement in power reliability for over a dozen communities including Nsangi, Nabbingo, Mpigi, Mpambire, and Buwama, among others.
For years, residents and business owners along this critical economic artery endured the frustration of an unreliable power supply. The root of the problem lay in the growing demand which had overwhelmed the Mutundwe Substation, leaving it gasping for capacity and prone to frequent, prolonged blackouts.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Eng. Samson Tondo, UEDCL’s Head of Regional Engineering Services, Central Service Territory, explained the strategic importance of the intervention.
“Customers along the Masaka Road corridor were previously served by the Mutundwe Substation and experienced prolonged and frequent power outages,” Eng. Tondo said. “This was caused by growing electricity demand, which strained the substation.”
The new integration lines now provide a much-needed alternative power supply source, fundamentally changing the resilience of the network. The immediate impact was confirmed by Teddy Akeso, the Area Manager for Mpigi.
“In case of a fault, that meant that all the customers running right from Nabingo up to Mitala Maria were off supply,” Akeso said. “Putting this substation in the middle already is a very good action, because we are cutting that reliability issue.”
Her assessment was backed by early results from the system. “From the day that they switched on this substation, for the two nights we have not had any load shedding,” she added.
The project, which cost approximately USD 63,133, marks the completion of phase one. It involved the construction of roughly 1.83 kilometres of 33kV overhead power lines and the installation of a key 33kV air-break switch between the two feeder links. UEDCL officials said the system is currently utilising only about 20% of its installed capacity, leaving a significant buffer to accommodate new connections and future demand growth.
The relief comes at a time when UEDCL is under renewed pressure to demonstrate tangible improvements. The company recently underwent a management shake-up, with new Managing Director Joselynne Rwabwogo prioritising network stability and customer satisfaction.
The commissioning of the Maya integration lines is a significant step in fulfilling that mandate. Eng. Tondo assured consumers that the days of scheduled load shedding due to capacity constraints on this corridor are over.
“We do not expect any more load shedding because of this project,” he declared.
Looking ahead, phase two of the project is in the planning and approval stages and will focus on integrating the Kakiri, Mityana, and Kasanje 33kV feeders from the Maya Substation, extending the benefits of improved power supply further into the region.
