Umeme Managing Director Selestino Babungi together with Sino Industrial Park Chairman Mr. Stephen Kaboyo inspect a beef processing factory
Utility company Umeme has pledged to expedite the connection of power lines at Sino Industrial zone located in Western Uganda.
Mr. Selestino Babungi, the Umeme Managing Director speaking during a recent visit to Sino Uganda Modern economic industrial zone located in Nshara, near Mbarara, said they will prioritize the industrial park as a matter of urgency.
“These industrial zones have a huge economic impact and that is why we are focusing on them for creating demand and supporting government plans for industrialization for creation of jobs,” he said.
He explained that Industrial zones give the giant utility an advantage in that they are not scattered with domestic customers to compete with the same distribution line.
Babungi says this enables them to focus power supply to the industries in the zones in a reliable and quality manner to feed the manufacturers as and when it is ready. Sino industrial zone is the first industrial Park in Western Uganda, covering 6 square miles.
The industrial park will be divided into seven main industrial Zones including Animal and Husbandry sone, textile zone, food processing zone, Hi-tech zone, pharmaceutical zone, hardware zone, and imported material zone.
Mr. Stephen Kaboyo, the Chairman Sino Industrial Zone said the zone is the first industrial park in Western Uganda. “The land was provided by the president to do an industrial park for the economic transformation of this area,” he said.
Mr.Kaboyo said the park is going to be a major driver for the cattle corridor in that community.
The park will be developed in two phases, the first phase covers the development of a 5 square mile area along the Masaka – Mbarara highway and the construction of the agricultural products led by livestock and poultry slaughtering, meant processing, grain and vegetable oil. The production base will promote all the round development of the agricultural and rural economy of the surrounding areas.
Mr. Kaboyo requested Umeme to support them with power lines in the park and also set up a substation to provide sufficient power to the industries. He said some of the investors have already finished setting up their factories and are only waiting for power to start production.
Mr. Babungi pledged to expedite the process of connecting the industrial park with power lines and bring power to the factories. He said he was impressed about the plans at the Sino Industrial Park which is targeting to have between 500 – 800 factories at peak capacity.
Sino Industrial Zone will have over 500 industries and their immediate needs is putting up the poles and a sub station in the park.
“We have already acquired land in Lyantonde to put up a switching station. The switching station will stabilize power to Lyantonde, Amos Dairies, and the industrial park so that there is enough flexibility to get power from Masaka or Mbarara simultaneously without any delays in case of any outages,” he said.
