(Ecofin Agency) - In Uganda, the Karuma hydropower dam could be no more delivered by December 2018, as initially announced, The monitor reports.   

According to Edward Mutesa, project manager at the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), a 6-month delay is already recorded, due to various challenges related to the compensation of populations affected by the construction of the Karuma-Kawanda, Karuma-Olwiyo and Karuma-Lira transmission lines.

Indeed, the manager explained that so far, only 2,791 people have been compensated with Sh30 billion while the overall number of people to compensate and sum to disburse amount respectively to 4,135 and Sh56 billion.

The Karuma hydropower plant, with a capacity of 600MW, cost $1.7 billion and should be the country’s biggest infrastructure of the kind. Its construction began in 2013 and it is 70% complete.