Bujagali Dam, Uganda / Reports

This report, commissioned by CEE Bankwatch Network and written by International Rivers, details how large dams financed by the EIB have damaged communities and the environment and failed to bring promised development benefits.

The Summary of Economic Due Diligence (SEDD) contains numerous shortcomings. It is based on over-optimistic assumptions about growth in GDP and electricity demand.

A fisheries expert with longtime experience studying the Nile has concluded that without additional comprehensive baseline studies, a sustainability plan for the Victoria Nile, and improved mitigation measures, the construction of Bujagali could result in significant impacts on species diversity and ecosystem services, particularly

The stated purpose of the study by Power Planning Associates, which was commissioned by the World Bank Group, is to evaluate the economic viability of the proposed Bujagali project in Uganda, while taking into account the economic, financial, social, and environmental aspects. International Rivers asked economist Pete Tsournos to analyze the report against a few key questions.

International Rivers analyzed the Bujagali Hydroelectric Project’s compliance with the decision-making framework of the World Commission on Dams. The project will need to comply with the WCD framework if the developer intends to sell carbon credits to the European market. The analysis shows that the project fails to fully comply with most of the

Thanks to an anonymous source, new data on Lake Victoria and its outflow management has become available since the original report. The data consists of observed daily lake levels, associated agreed curve discharges and actual Nalubaale and Kiira Dam releases for September 2004 to the beginning of March 2006, as reported by Eskom Uganda Ltd.

Report Reveals How Uganda Dams are Draining World's Second Largest Lake

A report by an independent Kenya–based hydrologic engineer confirms that over–releases from two dams on the Nile in Uganda are a primary cause

F.C. Oweyegha–Afunaduula, F.C.

Deputy Coordinator, Save Bujagali Crusade (SBC) & Secretary, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)Contact Information

Paper for the International Workshop on the Launching of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) Report "Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision–Making" in Uganda organised by the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) under the Theme "Making WCD Guidelines work in Uganda", and held at Hotel Africana Kampala, Uganda, on the 19th October, 2004.

Read some quotes about the project here.

The purpose of this review is to highlight major findings of the 2002 Panel report, and to recommend corrective action which is needed to rectify the problems documented in the report before the project goes forward. 

Report shows Executive Board approved project on basis of distorted economic analysis 

In early June, the World Bank is expected to vote on a political risk guarantee for the Bujagali dam in Uganda. The Bank approved a package of loans and guarantees for the dam in December 2001, but this has proved insufficient to secure support from other funders. Analysis of internal documents by International Rivers shows that World Bank management manipulated data to gain Board approval for the project, which is sponsored by US–based AES Corporation. Contrary to Bank management claims, official documents show that the dam is not the cheapest option for generating electricity in Uganda. International Rivers calls on the Bank to reconsider the economics of the project, to allow the World Bank Inspection Panel to submit its near–complete report on Bujagali, and to assess Uganda’s promising geothermal potential before taking any further decision on the project.