Electricity security in Uganda: Measurement and policy priorities

Abstract

Reliable, accessible, affordable, and sustainable electricity systems are fundamental to modern and progressive economies. For developing societies, particularly those with fragile power generation capabilities and electricity networks, the electricity security metrics are incomparable and remain untested. A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method that follows an entropy-based weighting system is employed to quantitatively evaluate and construct an Electricity Security Index (ESI) for Uganda. Results reveal that Uganda is “moderately” electricity secure. Out of the maximum possible score of 100, a year-on-year analysis indicates that the ESI score was highest in 2007 (56) and the lowest was registered in 2015 (39). Based on the VIKOR technique, it is observed that electricity reliability contributes the most to the ESI, while electricity access contributes the least. Although expansion of electricity generation capacity is necessary, energy policies should, in equal measure, prioritize adequate investments in robust and modern transmission and distribution infrastructure. A riveting policy implication is that governance quality enhances a country's electricity system by reinforcing the other dimensions of electricity security. • Measurement of electricity security has methodological and contextual variations. • Entropy-based weights were evaluated and employed in the Electricity Security Index (ESI) construction. • The VIKOR technique was utilized to assess the importance of the identified electricity dimensions. • Sensitivity of ESI to variation in complementary values and weights was evaluated. • ESI is more sensitive to variations in weights.