Uganda shut down two key hydropower plants in
the eastern part of the country on Tuesday after a floating "island"
of weeds moved toward the installations.
Umeme
Limited, the country's main electricity distributor, said in a statement that
the floating weeds had appeared at the Nalubaale and Kiira dams on the Nile
River as it started its journey from Lake Victoria.
"The
development is affecting supply in the Kampala Metropolitan and surrounding
areas following emergency load shedding until the floating island has been
cleared," Umeme added.
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The two
plants account for about 380 MW of the country's current generation capacity of
more than 1,300 MW.
In 2020,
Uganda experienced a nationwide power blackout after floating weeds affected
the Nalubaale power plant, one of the leading hydropower stations in Uganda.