Bujagali Energy

What Bujagali Energy does

Bujagali Energy Limited (BEL) is a privately held Ugandan power producer that owns and operates the 250MW Bujagali Hydro Power Plant, a run-of-river hydroelectric facility situated on the Victoria Nile at Dumbbell Island near Lake Victoria, 8km off Kayunga Road in Jinja, Uganda. Commissioned on August 31, 2012, the plant features 5x50MW Kaplan turbines, a 30-meter gravity dam, a 388-hectare reservoir, and 21.9m gross head with 259cms rated flow, achieving 94.7% turbine efficiency, 98% generator efficiency, and a 99% availability rate since commissioning. The plant contributes 31-34% of Uganda's effective electricity capacity and is the country's largest hydropower facility as well as Africa's largest privately financed hydropower project.

BEL operates as a single-asset, single-counterparty utility, selling 100% of its output under a long-term power purchase agreement to the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the state-owned national grid operator, at a tariff of approximately $0.11/KWh (reduced from $0.40/KWh). The company holds Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) registration with the UNFCCC (granted December 29, 2011) — the largest CDM project in any Least Developed Country — generating Certified Emission Reductions traded via the EU ETS at a rate of approximately 1 million tons of CO2 avoided per year (5,008,079 tons cumulative). The company is regulated by the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and operates under agreements with Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Finance.

BEL is structured as a Public-Private Partnership owned by SN Power Invest (a majority-owned subsidiary of Oslo-listed Scatec ASA), Bujagali Holdings Power Company Ltd (an affiliate of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development / IPS Kenya), and the Government of Uganda. The USD 862 million project was financed by a consortium of development finance institutions (IFC, EIB, AfDB, KfW, DEG, AFD, FMO, Proparco, CDC) and commercial lenders (Absa, Nedbank, Standard Chartered, Fortis). Operations and maintenance are handled by O&M Energy Uganda Limited (a Gas Natural FENOSA vehicle), while Alstom Hydro supplied turbine technology and Salini Impregilo (now Webuild) executed civil works construction.

Name

Bujagali Energy

Legal name

Bujagali Energy Limited

Website

https://bujagali-energy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bujagali Energy Limited operates Uganda's largest 250MW run-of-river hydropower plant on the Victoria Nile, selling all output under a long-term PPA to the state-owned UETCL national grid operator at approximately $0.11/KWh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydropower Generation

NAICS

Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydropower Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (O&M, Spares, Performance) (EUAMADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydropower Operations, Maintenance & Refurbishment (R&M/Life Extension) (EUACAEAG), Substations, Transformers & Grid Step-Up Facilities (EHV Substations, GSU Transformers) (EUAMAFAE)

Keywords

• Hydroelectric power generation
• Run-of-river hydropower
• Bulk electricity supply
• Power purchase agreements
• Clean energy production

Headquarters

HQ city

Jinja

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Generation and Sale: Bujagali Energy Limited generates electricity through its 250MW hydropower plant and sells power to the Ugandan grid under long-term power purchase agreements with UETCL. The company achieved a significant tariff reduction from $0.40/KWh to $0.11/KWh, making power more affordable for Uganda.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bujagali Energy Limited generates electricity through its 250MW run-of-river hydroelectric power plant on the Victoria Nile near Lake Victoria in Jinja, Uganda. The company exclusively sells bulk power to the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) under long-term power purchase agreements, contributing 31-34% of Uganda's effective energy capacity. The facility has operated at 99% availability since commissioning on August 31, 2012, and is Africa's largest privately financed hydropower project.

Product overview

Bujagali Energy Limited operates the Bujagali Hydro Power Plant as its core offering—a 250MW run-of-river hydropower facility on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. The company does not operate a software product portfolio; its single product is the hydroelectric power generation facility commissioned in 2012. The company provides community support programs including educational tours of the dam site, but these are CSR initiatives rather than separate product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bujagali Hydro Power Plant (Electricity Generation Service) A 250MW run-of-river hydroelectric power plant located near Lake Victoria on the Victoria Nile, commissioned in 2012. Features 5x50MW Kaplan turbines, a 30m gravity dam, and 388-hectare water reservoir. The plant supplies electricity to the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) under long-term power purchase agreements and contributes approximately 31-34% of Uganda's effective energy capacity, with a 99% availability rate since commissioning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced electricity tariffs by 72.5% from $0.40/KWh to $0.11/KWh
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Scatec ASA Norway (SN Power Invest)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012SN Power Invest, a majority-owned subsidiary of Scatec ASA Norway, is a major shareholder in Bujagali Energy Limited. Scatec is a leading renewable power producer with over 3.5 GW in operation and under construction on four continents.
• Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) / IPS Kenya LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Bujagali Holdings Power Company Ltd (BHPCL), an affiliate of AKFED, is a major shareholder. Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) Kenya Limited serves as the project sponsor and promoter. AKFED invests in financially stable projects promoting economic development.
• Government of UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Government of Uganda is a shareholder in Bujagali Energy Limited, with the project operating under agreements with Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Finance, and regulated by Electricity Regulatory Authority.
• Alstom HydromajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Alstom Hydro provided the hydro turbine and generator technology for the 5x50MW Kaplan turbine installation at the Bujagali facility.
• Salini ImpregilomajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Salini Impregilo (now Webuild) was the main contractor for the civil works construction of the dam, spillway, and associated infrastructure.
• O&M Energy Uganda LimitedmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2012O&M Energy Uganda Limited, established by Gas Natural FENOSA and contracted by BEL, operates and maintains the Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Plant.
• Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012UETCL is the primary off-taker purchasing electricity from Bujagali Energy Limited for transmission across the national grid.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station: 183MW run-of-river hydropower plant on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. Comparable as another Ugandan run-of-river hydro project selling to UETCL under a similar PPA structure, with the same regulatory and hydrological risk profile as Bujagali.
• Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station: 600MW run-of-river hydropower plant on the Victoria Nile in Uganda, owned by the Government of Uganda through UEGCL. Directly comparable as a fellow large-scale Ugandan hydropower IPP selling into the same UETCL off-take under the same regulatory framework (ERA).
• Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen): Kenya's largest power producer, with the bulk of capacity coming from large-scale hydropower (and geothermal). Comparable as a publicly-traded East African hydro-heavy IPP with a single national grid off-taker (KPLC) and a similar PPA/regulatory regime.

Broad incumbents

• Scatec ASA: Oslo-listed renewable energy company with 3.5+ GW in operation/construction across solar, wind, and hydro, and the parent of SN Power Invest that owns a stake in Bujagali. Closest parent/sister-company analog — same corporate family and shared exposure to emerging-market renewable IPP economics.
• Statkraft: Norwegian state-owned hydropower major and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. Highly comparable as a long-established hydrology-driven, run-of-river and reservoir hydropower operator reliant on long-term offtake agreements and exposure to water-resource variability.
• Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd: Vertically integrated South African national power producer and grid operator. Relevant as a benchmark for sub-Saharan African power-utility economics, long-term offtake dynamics, and the historical role of large-scale hydro in the regional generation mix.
• Globeleq: UK-headquartered African power developer and IPP investor operating thermal, wind, solar and hydro assets across sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable as a privately-financed African power platform competing for similar PPA structures with national utilities.
• SN Power: Hydropower-focused developer and IPP with global operations, the historical majority owner of Bujagali via SN Power Invest and now part of Scatec. Directly comparable in technology (large-scale hydropower) and business model (emerging-market hydro IPPs with sovereign off-takers).

Emerging players

• Cummins Cogeneration Kenya (and other East African IPPs): Independent power producers in East Africa operating under similar long-term PPA / single-offtaker / regulatory frameworks as Bujagali. They share comparable revenue model (capacity payments + energy tariffs via national utility) and similar project-finance structures, even if generation technology differs.

Others

• International Finance Corporation (IFC): World Bank Group private-sector development financier and one of the principal lenders to Bujagali. Not a peer in operations but a key counterparty and template investor for privately-financed hydropower in developing markets — useful for valuation reference and follow-on capital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bujagali-energy-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bujagali Energy