Infrastructure consulting firm Aecom has been awarded a contract to provide consulting services for the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Power Interconnection Line project.

This work was awarded by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit on behalf of the governments of Uganda and the DRC.

In this role, Aecom will assess the overall feasibility of a proposed transmission line from western Uganda to eastern DRC.

Aecom’s project scope includes delivering a feasibility report in addition to detailed design and tender documents that examine the technical and economic viability of the proposed transmission line. 

Currently, parts of the region rely on main load centres supplied by small diesel generators. The Uganda-DRC Power Interconnection Line aims to connect these regions to the national grid, providing a less expensive, but reliable and secure power supply.

Aecom conducted an initial feasibility study for this work in 2013.

“We’re excited to partner with the Nile Basin Initiative, building upon our important previous work to help make the Uganda-DRC Power Interconnection Line a reality.

“With the rich renewable energy potential in the Nile basin, this work will help bolster the region’s energy grid economy,” says Aecom senior VP Joseph Salim.

Project objectives include assessing existing and future power sector development in the region; recommending appropriate rural electrification along the proposed route; reviewing organisation and institutional frameworks for the construction, ownership, and operation of the line; exploring possible climate change risks to the project and proposed mitigation measures; and estimating the impact of the interconnection on the countries’ carbon footprints, specifically greenhouse-gas emission reduction that will accrue from the transmission line.

The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program aims to contribute to the eradication of poverty, promote economic growth and reverse environmental degradation in the region.

It is one of two investment programmes under the Nile Basin Initiative, a regional intergovernmental partnership between ten Nile basin States to manage and develop water and related resources in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security.