The overall objective of the study was to prepare a regional power master plan for the mutually beneficial development of the interconnection of the Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania power systems. The study was undertaken in two phases, namely, a scoping study and a detailed study.

Scope of Services
Hatch provided the key management inputs and many of the technical inputs to the study. In the Phase I scoping study, the following services were provided:

• Visit the three countries for the purpose of collecting previous reports pertaining to the study and for meetings with utility staff with regard to matters to be addressed in the study
• Review and update the load forecast for each individual country assuming unconstrained conditions to produce load forecasts that were based on consistent forecast models and assumptions
• Prepare a load forecast for the combined system taking into account any complementary effects of individual system demand characteristics
• Review and update, as necessary, available data for the existing generation and transmission of the three systems
• Establish a list of potential energy resources suitable to meet the demand of the combined systems. This list included three types of resources, namely, hydroelectric, thermal and geothermal
• Carry out conceptual review of the existing and proposed regional interconnection schemes in Sub-Sahara Africa
• Review the possibility of establishment of an East African power pool
• Review the planning and design criteria used in the national master plan studies and develop common criteria including criteria to determine aspects and degree of cooperation between the member states
• Select the major interconnection alternatives to be studied in detail in Phase II

In the Phase II detailed study, the following services were provided:

• Systems expansion planning based on the load forecasts prepared for the region, potential energy resources, and the selected interconnection alternatives
• System analysis to evaluate the technical feasibility of the selected interconnection alternatives and to determine the physical requirements of the interconnection schemes as well as system reinforcement requirements. These analyses included:
  • Load flow analysis
  • Stability analysis
  • Fault current analysis and analysis of communication
  • Control systems
  • Estimates were prepared of the annual capital requirement associated with the least cost development plan, including generating plant, transmission lines, substations, and reinforcements
  • Economic analysis of the benefits resulting from the combined development of the three power systems measured using the “with and without” concept
  • Sensitivity analysis to assess the impacts on the economic viability of the plans due to variations in key variables
  • Long run marginal cost broken down into capacity and energy for the peak, off peak and average demand for the combined system was determined
  • Justification of the least cost plans from technical, economic, social, environmental and operational points of view