Deepin the tunnels dug below River Nile in northern Uganda, Chinese engineerstogether with their Ugandan counterparts assemble turbines that will generateelectricity at the country's largest hydro power plant.
Inother parts of the tunnels, local workers under close supervision of Chinesetechnicians weld metals as concrete trucks come in and out of the tunnels, andoutside the tunnels, it is equally busy as workers build several structures.
ZhengZhuqiang, Chinese ambassador to Uganda said on Thursday that thousands ofyouths have gained skills as a result of the construction of the Karuma hydropower plant. Construction started in 2013.
"Over6,000 Ugandans have been employed by the project. Local employees account for13 percent of managers, 50 percent of technical workers and 87 percent generalworkers," Zheng said during an inspection tour to the construction site byUgandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Bythe end of 2017, more than 150 million U.S. dollars was paid for localprocurement of diesel, cement, steel, wood and vehicles, according to Zheng.
Theambassador said when completed, the plant will generate four billion kilowatthours annually and provide more than 200 million dollars in revenue to thegovernment, which is close to 1 percent of the gross domestic product.
DenisRubangakene, a worker at the construction site, told Xinhua that working underclose supervision from his Chinese instructor, he has now gained skills inmetal welding.
Hesaid he was employed at the site without any academic qualification.
"Ihave come to realize that these people do not bother much about certificate andthe level of education as long as you can manage to do the work they giveyou," Rubangakene said.
Hesaid he has now gained experience and can start his own metal welding workshopwhen the construction project ends.
"Forme I am very sure, when I reach Gulu I will open my workshop. The project hasgiven me something to do in the future," he added.
AndrewKamagara, a local engineer at the site said the construction project hasexposed him to other fields that he never thought of joining.
Hesaid although originally he was a water engineer, the Chinese have exposed himto structural engineering, a skill he now enjoys.
"Atschool we mostly learnt about theory but when we came here, more theory wasadded but with the practical bit," Kamagara said. "I will be goingaway with a lot of structural knowledge. I have gained that information and itincreased my confidence in structural design."
Meanwhile,villages neighboring the construction site have started developing, accordingto Severino Opio, local council leader of Karuma village.
Hesaid the locals employed at the site are now buying land and constructing morepermanent houses.
Hesaid safe water points have been extended closer to the villages by Sinohydro,the project contractor.
"Iused to collect water from very far and that meant I either had to leave mychild in the house or carry him with me to fetch the water. But this boreholewas built in the community so it helps us reduce the time spent collectingwater," Lydia Buteme, a resident of Karuma village said.
Atthe national level, the 600MW power plant will be a game changer in theprovision of adequate electricity to power the country's economic development.
Economicexperts argue that lack of adequate and cheap electricity was pushing up thecost of production in the country and therefore making its productsuncompetitive in the east Africa region where power is cheaper in othernations.
IreneMuloni, minister of energy and mineral development, said construction of thepower plant will be completed by the end of next year.
"Constructionof the power plant is at 80 percent complete and the transmission part is at 42percent complete," Muloni said, noting that the first two units of theplant each generating 100MW will be completed by the end of this year.
Musevenithanked China for financing the construction of the power plant, noting that itwill be important in providing adequate electricity to fast track the economicdevelopment of the country.
"Iwant to thank the Chinese government because we made a contribution from thegovernment of Uganda money, but the bigger money came from a soft loan fromChina," Museveni said.
Ugandacontributed 15 percent as counterpart funding while China Export and ImportBank is providing financing of up to 85 percent. The total cost is 1.4 billiondollars for the generation plant component of the power plant.
Uganda'spower generation and installed capacity is estimated at 930 MW, according togovernment data.
Itis estimated that 1,131 MW will be required to meet the national electricitydemand by 2020.
WhenKaruma and the 183 MW Isimba Hydro Power Plant is complete, the 2020 demandwould be surpassed. Isimba Power Plant is also financed and constructed byChina.
Editor:Yaling
