Input to CSO Rejoinder to Uganda’s VNR Report (June 2020)

A Clean Energy Plan is a Sure Way for Uganda’s Efforts to Implement Agenda 2030

1.0 Introduction

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development’s declared mission is “To ensure reliable, adequate and
sustainable exploitation, management and utilization of energy and mineral resources”, and one of the set
strategies to achieve this it to promote and implement rural electrification through grid extension, development
of decentralized power supply systems and use of renewable energy resources.

However, Uganda’s energy sector faces several challenges focused mainly on increasing energy access by
increasing supply. The links between energy efficiency1 and energy access, and the multiple benefits of energy
efficiency for the level and quality of energy available, have been largely overlooked by many stakeholders in
Uganda, including the international donor community (UCSD et. al, 2019).

As acknowledged by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (2015), a key challenge is the lack of a
good mix of energy sources in power generation, low level of access to modern energy, over dependence on
biomass, inadequate infrastructure for generation, transmission and distribution and low level of energy
efficiency. In fact the VNR report (June 2020) notes that ‘over the medium term, focus has been on: increasing
power generation capacity to drive economic development, expanding the electricity transmission grid network
among others’, with unmatched investment in renewable energy options.

Furthermore, while the Energy Sector Development Plan (2015/16 – 2019/20) recognizes that over 6 million
households use biomass for cooking in Uganda, investment priorities need to move closer at improving
efficiency in use of biomass by households and institutions, if Uganda’s threatened forest cover is to be
conserved. Indeed the high specific energy consumption and energy intensity resulting from low level of energy
efficiency in all sectors (both supply and demand side) has been flagged out as one of the challenges and risk in
Uganda’s New and Renewable Energy Subsector (Government of Uganda, 2015). Deforestation (mainly due to
the search for firewood and charcoal) remains the major challenge which has led to decline of forest cover from
24% in 1990 to 12.4% in 2015 (Government of Uganda, 2019).

The Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS) seeks to operationalize green growth
principles and accelerate the implementation of the global development goals (SDGs) among other
strategies. The UGGDS focuses on five core catalytic investment areas of agriculture, natural capital
management, green cities (urban development), transport and energy. The envisaged outcomes of the UGGDS
implementation are: income and livelihoods enhancement; decent green jobs; climate change adaptation
and mitigation; sustainable environment and natural resources management; food and nutrition security;
resource use efficiency; and social inclusiveness and economic transformation at the sub-national and
national levels.

2.0 What is at stake?

However, according to the VNR Report (June 2020), the proportion of the Country’s population with primary
reliance on clean fuels and technology stands at only 0.6 percent, with a projection to reverse this to 60 percent
electricity connectivity access by 2027. This requires substantive synchronized efforts to implement the global
development goals especially the three SDG7 indicators reported on in the VNR report i.e. Proportion of the
Population with Access to Electricity; Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and
technology; Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.

Below are some recommendations that could spur Uganda’s action towards realization of the set SDG7
indicators without leaving anyone behind.

1
Energy efficiency is means using less energy to provide the same service. Energy efficiency is therefore a core element of
ending energy poverty and securing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.

1
 Input to CSO Rejoinder to Uganda’s VNR Report (June 2020)

3.0 Recommendations

1. Increase share of Decentralized Renewable Energy2 (DRE) as part of the national energy share as it
simultaneously addresses other SDGs (education, maternal health, provision of clean and safe water, etc.).
Current investment in DRE is woefully low, whereas this has a huge potential to leap-frog rural
development through value addition in agriculture, securing longer working hours for health centers and
schools among others. For example, in 2017/18, the large hydro infrastructure was allocated over two-thirds
of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development budget. Although affordability challenges make off-
grid power systems a better option for increasing access to energy, public investment in it is still low.
Government of Uganda and its development partners mainly focus on grid extension, development of large
hydro projects and to some extent large solar PV which has resulted into the lack of instruments oriented
towards private financing of technologies for cooking, and off-grid that would impact the greatest (and
poorest) proportion of the Ugandan population (RECSO, 2019).
2. Roll out the UGDDS focus area on Energy for green growth as part of development priorities at
national and subnational levels. This seeks increased emphasis on renewable energy investment
through biomass energy for electricity and improved technology for enhanced efficiency in using
biomass for domestic and industrial uses, enhancing solar power potential for on-grid, exploitation of
geothermal energy and reinforcement of environmental, health and economic safeguards for energy
generation.
3. Uganda Parliament should fast track the enactment of the Energy efficiency and Conservation bill
into law, in order for the Energy Efficiency Strategy (2010-2020) to take effect in support of the much
needed country-wide climate action and sustainable energy promotion. The policy and regulatory tools
which are currently available do not favor implementation of some of the programmes; for example,
enforcement of energy efficiency standards and labeling of electrical appliances and energy management
and periodic energy audits in industries.
4. There is need for more support to Uganda National Bureau of Standards to execute its mandate in
enforcing standards and quality control of electric equipment and energy saving devices on the
market as some of it is obsolete technology or energy inefficient. Specific energy consumption for
individual services can still be considerably reduced in many areas of the Ugandan economy.
5. Scale up technology diffusion for households and institutions. For example widening the use of
improved cooking stoves for households and institutions, as these can reduce the biomass used for cooking
by 50%; and replacing incandescent bulbs by Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) that can reduce
electricity consumption for lighting in households and other buildings by up to 70‐ 80%
6. Institutional support is needed for urban and rural local authorities, to heighten political attention and
coordination amongst the key sectors in order to gradually scale up efforts on improving energy efficiency
and access in rural areas

4.0 References

a) The VNR Report (June 2020)

b) Government of Uganda. The Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy 2017/18 – 2030/31):
c) Government of Uganda (2015). Energy and Mineral Development Sector: http://npa.go.ug/wp-
content/uploads/2018/01/Energy-Sector-Development-plan-Final.pdf accessed on June 12, 2020
d) Renewable Energy CSO Network (RECSO, 2019). Increasing Financing and Investments for Clean and
Renewable Energy Access in Uganda; Policy and Practice Recommendations for Implementation at
National and Local levels: http://envalert.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Increasing-finance-and-
investment-paper-2019-A4.pdf accessed June 12, 2020
e) UCSD.et. al (2019). UCSD, JEEP and INFORSE East Africa's Press Statement (23 Sept) on the occasion of
Uganda Energy Week 2019 and the UN Climate Action Summit 2019:
https://www.scribd.com/document/427010872/UCSD-JEEP-INFORSE-East-Africa-Press-Statement-
Energy-Week-2019 accessed June 12, 2020
f) Government of Uganda (2019). Water and Environment Sector Performance Report 2019:
https://www.mwe.go.ug/sites/default/files/library/SPR%20FINAL%20BOOK%202019.pdf accessed on
June 12, 2020

2
DRE is energy produced closer to where it will be used, rather than at a large plant elsewhere and sent through the
national grid. This local generation reduces transmission losses and lowers carbon emissions.