The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has approved new Electricity End-User Tariffs to be charged by Umeme Limited for the supply of Electrical Energy in the Billing Period from April to June 2023.
According to the New Tariffs, Domestic Consumers will pay UGX 250 for the First 15 Units under the Lifeline Tariff and thereafter pay UGX 805.0 for the next 16-80 Units purchased, a reduction from UGX 808.9 in the previous quarter.
Customers buying Energy Units between 81-150kw will only pay UGX 412.0 where as consumers buying above 150 Units will pay only 805.0 a reduction from 808.9 in the previous quarter.
Commercial Consumers will pay UGX 611.8 from UGX 624.6, Medium Industrial Consumers – UGX 461.8 from UGX 472.3, Large Industrial Consumers – UGX 384.4 from UGX 386.3, Extra Large Consumers – UGX 325.0 from UGX 326.6, while the Tariff for Street Lighting has been maintained at UGX 370.0.
Julius Wandera the Director of Corporate and Consumer Affairs at the Electricity Regulatory Authority says the approved Electricity End-User Tariffs represent a Weighted Average Reduction of 1 per cent, relative to the Tariffs of the First Quarter of 2023.
Mr. Wandera added that the approved tariffs have been determined in consideration of the changes in the Macro-Economic Factors of; International Pricing of Fuel, the Exchange Rate of Uganda Shilling against the United States Dollar, the Core Consumer Price Index (Inflation), the Energy Generation Mix, and Costs Approved by the Authority.
PARAMETERS USED IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE TARIFFS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER (APRIL TO JUNE) OF THE YEAR 2023
| Parameter | Source | Rate |
| Exchange Rate (USH/US$) | The Mid-Rate of the Uganda Shilling against the United States Dollar as published by Bank of Uganda as of 28th February 2023 |
3,721.83 |
| Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) | Published by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics for February 2023 |
125.62 |
| OPEC Reference Basket (US$ per barrel) |
OPEC – Monthly Oil Market Report for March 2023 |
81.88 |
In terms of dispatch from generation plants ERA have on the National Grid, Mr. Wandera explained that the dry months of January and February affected the hydrology of a number of rivers.
“Most small hydro mini power plants had little water and that translated to their generation being low. So Uganda Electricity Transmission Limited (UETCL) which is the bulk purchaser of Electricity had to resort to purchasing power from the large Hydros to compensate for the dispatch that would’ve come from the Mini hydropower plants,” he said.
THE TARIFF NOTICE OF QUARTER TWO OF 2023
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Mr Wandera further explained that they also experienced a reduction in generation from the major plants due to a reduced supply of kin which is used as fuel for generating hydroelectricity.
“What we saw was, there was a lot of dispatch from the large power plants that are; Nalubaale, Kiira, Isimba and Bujagali that are connected to the national grid. However, the outlook for the coming quarter shows that we have gotten into the rainy season and we expect small mini hydropower plants to pick up their generation,” he added.
According to records, Wandera says they have also seen an increasing demand for Electricity in February hitting 860 MG/Hrs which is the highest recorded demand in the country, adding that consumption of electricity has increased compared to the first quarter of 2022 when the economy was still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
This Schedule of Tariffs for the Second Quarter of 2023 shall be applicable to Energy consumed in the period April to June 2023 and a detailed Tariff Review Report is available at www.era.go.ug