The Nsongezi Hydropower Project is a proposed 39 MW transboundary mini-hydropower development on the Kagera River, jointly promoted by the Governments of Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2025 formalizes cooperation among the three Partner States for the joint development of the project.
Located along the Uganda-Tanzania border in western Uganda, the project will harness shared water resources of the Kagera River to generate renewable energy for regional consumption. The development is positioned downstream of existing hydropower facilities on the river, contributing to optimized cascade utilization and enhanced regional grid stability.
Once developed, the project will enhance renewable energy supply, strengthen cross-border power trade, and contribute to regional energy security and integration within the East African region.
The Nsongezi Hydropower Project is a proposed run-of-river scheme on the Kagera River, located along the border between Uganda and Tanzania. The project is also regionally relevant, with potential power supply benefits to Rwanda.
Although the project features a 20m high concrete dam on the Kagera River, reservoir storage and operation is such that the scheme effectively operates as a run-of-river scheme. The main role of the reservoir is to balance energy production gains with minimized environmental and social impacts.
The hydropower plant will consist of an open-air powerhouse on the Ugandan side of the river, equipped with three vertical Kaplan turbines. Positioned downstream of the Kikagati Power Station, Nsongezi aims to fully utilize the hydropower potential of this 25 km stretch of the Kagera River. Turbine discharge is expected to be in the range of 220-250 m³/s, Power evacuation will be via a 35 km, 132 kV transmission line connecting the plant to Uganda's Mirama Hills substation.
The project is included in Uganda's Second National Development Plan (NDPII) for the 2015/16 - 2019/20 period. It is also included in NELSAP's Investment Strategy Action Plan (2012).
The objective of the Nsongezi Hydropower Project is to advance a regionally integrated renewable energy development that reduces power deficits and transmission congestion while enhancing reliable and secure electricity supply across Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. The project seeks to strengthen interconnected power networks, expand access to affordable electricity in both rural and urban areas, and promote clean energy generation through hydropower and complementary renewable resources. In addition, it aims to enhance regional energy security, improve grid stability, and support environmentally sustainable resource utilization within the Lake Victoria Basin.