Techno-economic performance assessment of selected power plants in Uganda

Abstract

Amidst the current global pursuit for access to energy by all as well as energy transition, the actual performance of existing power plants, particularly in developing countries, has often attracted little interest in scientific research. This study evaluated the performance of selected power plants in Uganda using the techno-economic performance assessment model based on actual operational data of hydropower, solar photovoltaic, cogeneration, and thermal power plants for the period 2010–2021. The analysis revealed that the average combined capacity factors are 19.8%, 22.9%, 18.4% and 58.6%, respectively, for thermal power plants, co-generation power plants, solar power plants and hydropower power plants. Furthermore, the levelised cost of electricity for the selected power plants’ financial performance is found to be lower than the retail price for a unit of electricity in Uganda. Overall, the study revealed that the real-life techno-economic performance of the selected power plants in Uganda agrees with the globally expected performance ranges.