Aqua~Media International Ltd is the publisher of The International Journal on Hydropower and Dams, and the organizer of the HYDRO, ASIA and AFRICA event series.
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- 13 - 15 April 2021
- Lake Victoria, Uganda
Study Tours
Two post-Conference study tours are planned, to give participants an opportunity to visit Uganda’s most important dams and hydropower plants; itineraries are still to be confirmed, and timings checked, so the information below is provisional.
Tour A – East: Owen Falls, Bujagali and Isimba / 2 or 3 days (to be confirmed)
The tour will begin on Friday 16 April, and it is planned for the group to travel by coach from Kampala to Owen Falls dam on the White Nile, completed in 1954, and the location of Uganda’s first major hydro plant. There are two powerplants today: Kiira 200 MW, and Nalubaale 180 MW. The dam has been affected by alkali silica reaction, and there are plans for a refurbishment project soon.
The second technical visit will be to the 250 MW Bujagali scheme on the Victoria Nile, completed in 2012. It was constructed as a public-private partnership project, with World Bank financing. There will also be a chance to see the centre known as the ‘Source of the Nile’, and the monument to John Hanning Speke, the British explorer who was the first European to reach Lake Victoria, and made several expeditions to establish the source of the Nile.
The final technical visit will be to the 183 MW Isimba scheme, completed in March 2019. The scheme comprises a concrete gravity dam, a clay-core rockfill dam, and a powerhouse equipped with four Kaplan units. There will be either one or two overnight stays in Jinja, depending on the length of the tour.
Bujagali dam
Tour B – North: Karuma construction site / 3 days
This tour will begin on Friday 16 April, and involve a journey north by coach, with a lunch stop en route, provisionally planned to be at Kabalega.
The technical highlight of the tour will be a visit to the site of the 600 MW Karuma site, where civil works are nearing completion. Dinner and an overnight stay are planned to be at the Chobe Safari Lodge.
A game drive is planned for the following morning at Chobe. The group will then travel on to Paara, for an overnight stay at Paara Safari Lodge. An evening or early morning game drive is planned at Paara, before the journey back to Kampala.
En route, it may be possible to stop briefly at the site of the proposed future Murchison Falls hydro project.
Karuma dam
Conference Programme
AFRICA 2021 will take place at the Speke Resort Munyonyo beside Lake Victoria, Uganda. The fourth in the AFRICA regional conference series, previous events have been held in Ethiopia, Morocco and Namibia.
12
Monday 12 April
Pre-conference workshops and Chairpersons' & Speakers' meetings and reception.
13
Tuesday 13 April
Opening ceremony, technical sessions begin and evening Welcome reception.
14
Wednesday 14 April
Technical sessions continue and extended opening of the Exhibition.
15
Thursday 15 April
Technical sessions continue, closing ceremony and Farewell Dinner.
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