October 30, 2020 8:29 am
(Eng. Protaze Tibyakinura – in picture)
Technical services is a central business unit in UEDCL precisely doing the administration of the Lease Assignment Agreement (LAA), monitoring Umeme investment, and oversees power distribution in the eight (8) service territories in Uganda, covering a geographical distance of 61 political districts. Overall, the technical department is headed by the Chief Engineering & Technical Services Officer (CETSO). His assisted by three principal officers who lead the sections of investment monitoring, Information Communication Technology, and Operations & Maintenance.
The investment section focuses on investment monitoring, state of the distribution network, network GIS, and monitoring the DOMC. The ICT section is supporting the currently ongoing modernization of power processes in the entity. This state of affairs makes all the services in UEDCL ICT driven a factor that explains effectiveness in service delivery. The journey of UEDCL business in service territories started in 3 locations of Moroto Moyo and Adjumani, which Umeme never took over in 2005.
The journey of UEDCL business in service territories started in 3 locations of Moroto Moyo and Adjumani, which Umeme never took over in 2005. These areas were supplied power generated using diesel connected via an isolated grid. When the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) connected Moroto to Soroti, Moyo & Adjumani to Gulu, these essentially were added to the national grid. Subsequently, UEDCL expanded in the rural areas where Umeme was not operating and later took on all the territories formerly owned by Ferdisult in 2014.
The technical department has since adopted new guidelines from the ERA to step it’s Health Safety and environment practices. Thus, a section that deals with health, safety & environment is operational and will expand from its current staffing because of its criticality in UEDCL’s operations.
In the electricity supply chain, UEDCL buys power from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) whilst for some evacuation lines pay the grid owner through the Umeme infrastructure.
The eight (8) service territories are manned by about 270 UEDCL staff with the hope of expanding after the Government of Uganda (GOU) rolled out a free electricity connection policy (ECP) in 2018. As per the ERA license, the technical services department employs competent staff in the discipline of electrical engineering. Additionally, ERA has set the following key targets including;
1. 95% Power availability
2. 20% Loss level
3. Quality of supply (QoS) voltage medium voltage + -10% and low voltage +-6%
4. Power restoration within 7 hours
5. Customer connection 7 days
These regulatory targets have prompted the recruitment of the right staff, automation of our current services, and an increased fleet to manage operations in the 61 districts of our operations and maintenance (O&M).
By UEDCL – Corporate Affairs.
