Uganda has decided to temporarily shut down the Nalubaale and Kiira hydroelectric stations due to the presence of floating weeds

On Tuesday, Uganda temporarily closed two crucial hydropower plants in the eastern region of the country due to the approach of a floating mass of aquatic plants known as a “island”.

Umeme Limited, the primary energy distributor in the country, stated that floating vegetation had emerged at the Nalubaale and Kiira dams on the Nile River as it began its course from Lake Victoria.

“Umeme stated that the supply in the Kampala Metropolitan and surrounding areas is being impacted by the development, which involves emergency load shedding until the floating island has been removed.”

The combined capacity of the two facilities represents approximately 380 MW out of the total generation capacity of over 1,300 MW in the country.

In 2020, Uganda saw a countrywide power outage due to the impact of aquatic vegetation on the Nalubaale power plant, a prominent hydroelectric facility in Uganda.