Fikri IŞIK, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, announced that TÜBİTAK MAM Energy Institute will establish a facility with three different technologies such as gasification, combustion and biogas in Uganda.
IŞIK said that mutual meetings were initiated this year between TÜBİTAK MAM and the Uganda National Science and Technology Organization (UNSCT) in order to identify areas of cooperation.
Stating that energy, food and biotechnology were accepted as priority areas in the first phase of the talks, Işık said that energy was identified as the first action area due to the urgent need to improve access to electricity in Uganda.
IŞIK pointed out that experts from the TÜBİTAK MAM Energy Institute visited Uganda to examine the rich biomass and geothermal resources on site and to determine a road map, and emphasized that technical sessions were held with officials from relevant ministries and institutions in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
"During the visits, mutual views were exchanged for local and grid-connected electricity generation systems from biomass and geothermal-based electricity generation systems, and in this context, it was aimed to define the project details. In the sessions, the importance of the added value created by the application of the technologies developed by TÜBİTAK MAM Energy Institute for a long time in Uganda was emphasized."
"The project will guide new collaborations"
Underlining that as a result of the acceptances, the project was supported and a memorandum of mutual cooperation was prepared and approved to be signed between the institutions and to apply to the Islamic Development Bank for financial support, IŞIK said:
"The delegation traveled 1,500 kilometers within Uganda and examined potential application areas on site. Considering the electricity distribution network, user profile, resource diversity and potential, an opinion was formed on the technical and economic feasibility of biogas, gasification and combustion technologies. After the inspections, a project framework was prepared in the capital Kampala and a roadmap for electricity generation from biomass, which has a high potential in the first phase, was determined. Drafts of the memorandum of cooperation and project proposal were also prepared and presented to the senior management of both institutions. Within the scope of the project, with the loan provided by the Islamic Development Bank, three facilities with three different technologies such as off-grid small gasification systems that generate electricity from biomass and grid-connected gasification, combustion and biogas will be established and commissioned in Uganda using TÜBİTAK MAM technology."
Mr. IŞIK wished that the cooperation between Turkey and Uganda would be beneficial for both sides and stated that the project is envisaged to be a guide for new collaborations.
