In a bid to adhere to and realise Eskom Uganda Limited’s (EUL) mandate of operating and maintaining the two power plants, Nalubaale and Kiira, EUL has continuously implemented projects that enhance plant availability as it ensures meeting dispatch demand and generate enough electricity for the country.
EUL embarked on the project of installing 11kV cables on all the 10 generating units at Nalubaale Power Plant to prevent any further system performance deterioration caused by cable failure, prevent equipment damage in the cable vicinity due to cable failure and prevent the possibility of fire outbreak due to cable explosions on the 67-year-old plant.
On 25th August 2020, the 11kV cables were delivered to Nalubaale Power Plant and installation works commenced on 12th October 2020. The cables previous cables serving the 10 generating units at Nalubaale Power Plant had worked overtime; their performance had deteriorated causing frequent ruptures hence affecting plant availability.
The scope of work for cable replacement involved cable trenching, cable pulling, cable laying, cable jointing and cable termination. The project scope also involved the following activities: -
- Decommissioning and removal of the existing cables.
- Cable installation (cable trenching, cable pulling, cable laying, cable jointing and cable termination). A section of cables is buried underground and another section in the cable duct. This also involved testing and commissioning of cables on all the 10 generating units at Nalubaale Power Station. The 5,000 Volts and 10,000 Volts Cable Pressure Testing was done to ensure the cables are ready to transmit power.
- Backfilling of cable trenches.
- Some parts of the cables were painted with fire retardant paint in case of any fires.
The project was successfully completed in March 2021. We congratulate the team that worked and completed the project within timelines.
