As the world races to close a widening climate gap, the role of electricity systems in driving low-carbon development has never been more critical. For Uganda, the transition to a clean and climate-resilient energy future is already underway, with the Electricity Supply Industry emerging as a central pillar of national climate action.
As electricity demand grows due to urbanisation, industrialisation, and population growth, maintaining a low-carbon generation profile remains essential. Through licensing and regulatory oversight, ERA continues to support renewable energy development and integration of clean technologies into the national grid, ensuring that expansion of generation and access aligns with a sustainable development pathway.
Why Electricity is Central to Climate Action
Globally, energy systems account for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding clean electricity and improving energy efficiency are widely recognised as among the most effective approaches to closing the global climate gap.
Uganda presents a unique opportunity in this transition, as the country’s electricity generation mix remains largely renewable. By June 2025, renewable energy sources accounted for approximately 95.2% of total generation capacity (Hydropower – 82%, Bagasse – 9%, Solar – 4% and 5% thermal). This renewable-dominated mix positions Uganda among countries with low-carbon electricity systems and provides a strong foundation for climate-compatible growth.
Keeping Uganda’s Electricity Supply Industry Low-Carbon
Maintaining a clean electricity mix is critical as demand continues to rise. ERA promotes investment in renewable energy through licensing and regulatory frameworks that enforce compliance with environmental and social safeguards.
The Electricity Supply Industry aligns strongly with national and global climate commitments. Uganda’s Energy Transition Plan targets net-zero emissions in the energy sector by 2065, consistent with the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Achieving this target will require sustained renewable expansion, energy efficiency improvements, and deeper decarbonisation measures across the generation portfolio.
Such forward-looking ambition positions Uganda to unlock international climate finance and investment in emerging clean energy technologies, including advanced renewables and other low-carbon options.
Climate Resilience and Dam Safety
Hydropower remains the backbone of Uganda’s electricity supply, making climate resilience of water and energy infrastructure a strategic priority.
Changing rainfall patterns and water level variability present emerging risks to hydropower systems. Intensified hydrological extremes, including severe floods and prolonged drought conditions highlights the need for strengthened infrastructure oversight.
ERA, in collaboration with the Directorate of Water Resources Management, is in the final stages of developing regulations on dam and waterway safety to enhance governance of critical hydropower infrastructure. Ongoing nationwide safety assessments are providing technical insights to inform a context-specific regulatory framework.
The proposed framework will strengthen resilience by ensuring dams can withstand evolving climatic pressures, safeguarding lives, infrastructure, ecosystems, and downstream power assets while maintaining reliable electricity generation.
Expanding Electricity Access as a Climate Solution
Access to reliable electricity is both a development priority and a climate intervention. As more households and enterprises connect to the grid, reliance on biomass fuels such as charcoal and firewood declines, reducing deforestation pressures and improving air quality.
Uganda’s installed generation capacity now stands at 2,098.6 MW, predominantly derived from renewable sources, providing a strong structural foundation for expanded access to clean and reliable electricity. Grid expansion continues nationwide, supported by sustained investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. The number of grid-connected customers has reached 2,703,914, reflecting steady progress in electricity access and deepening sector penetration across the country.
While reliability challenges persist in some areas due to network constraints and rising demand, sector stakeholders are implementing targeted infrastructure upgrades to improve system stability and service delivery. ERA continues to prioritise access expansion, network performance, outage reduction, and quality-of-supply improvements in collaboration with utilities and Government.
Electricity also enables productive and climate-resilient economic activities, including Agro-processing, Manufacturing, Digital services, and Clean cooking technologies that enhance productivity while lowering environmental impact.
Uganda’s Electricity Supply Industry sits at the centre of the country’s climate and development agenda. With a renewable-dominated generation mix, expanding electricity access, and strengthened environmental and infrastructure oversight, the sector continues to advance climate-resilient and inclusive growth.
Looking ahead, ERA remains committed to ensuring that the Electricity Supply Industry powers socio-economic transformation while safeguarding environmental integrity and strengthening resilience for future generations.