Western region, Uganda
Donum Nakivale Power and Water: solar power for the campus and the trading centre
Solar power and water for every place on the campus, day and night, and power for the trading centre next door.
Planned project
This is a project we plan to build. None of the approvals it needs has been granted yet. Each one is listed below with its status, and nothing that needs an approval starts until it is granted.
Isingiro District, next to Nakivale Refugee Settlement. The exact plot is not yet bought.
2.6%
Households in Nakivale on the national grid
(npj Climate Action, 2025-03-29)
550 kW
Solar plant
with a 1,200 kWh battery
250
Trading-centre connections
mills, welders, tailors, shops
$150,700
Running cost a year
battery and inverter replacement saved every year
To build
$2,085,230
once
To run
$150,700
a year; Donum pays it all
Its share of the Donum Endowment
$3,767,500
running cost divided by 4%
In all
$5,852,730
opens July 2028 (planned)
$0 of $5,852,730
Pledge to this project Read the whole plan
If a project cannot go ahead, because an approval it needs is refused or its building has not begun within five years, everyone who gave to it is offered their money back or a move to another planned project.
Why it matters
- In Nakivale 2.6% of households use the national grid for light (npj Climate Action, 2025-03-29); the one documented solar installation is a 10 kW container at Rubondo (Whitewall Energy, undated).
- Nothing on this campus works without steady power: an oxygen plant, a newborn unit, vaccine fridges, computer rooms, welding workshops.
- The deadwood for cooking is gone around Nakivale (Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings, 2023-05-06). A kitchen feeding 960 learners would otherwise burn firewood every day; this one cooks with solar electricity and biogas.
Read more
Water: a public project from the Kagera River is being built for Nakivale, Oruchinga and Isingiro (Agence Francaise de Developpement, 2025). Its water reached Mbarara only in March 2026, later than planned (New Vision, 2026-03), and no date has been published for Nakivale. We do not build a public network, which would duplicate it: the campus draws its own water from boreholes and connects to the public main as a backup when it arrives.
What the evidence says
Mini-grids work when there are productive users, and productive uses are a condition of their viability (GET.transform, 2020-12). A refugee mini-grid in Ethiopia gave more than 1,000 households power around the clock at half the cost of two hours of diesel (Mercy Corps, undated).
Read more
In Uganda, mini-grids priced near the grid tariff reached their design limit within two years, and in two Kyenjojo mini-grids 42% of businesses opened after power arrived, until demand outgrew capacity (Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, 2022). That is why this plant is sized for the whole campus plus the trading centre, with its battery and replacements in the running costs.
What it is
A solar plant of about 550 kW with a 1,200 kWh battery, and a standby generator for long cloudy spells. It powers every building on the campus: the health centre's oxygen plant and vaccine fridges, the school's laboratories, computers and kitchen, the farm's incubators, milk cooler and pumps, the workshops, the water pumps and the staff homes.
Read more
Power lines run about 6 km into the nearest trading centre, where the first 250 shops, mills, workshops and homes are connected with prepaid meters.
For water, three boreholes with solar pumps fill a 100,000 litre tower and a 300,000 litre reservoir. Rain tanks sit at every building. The campus treats its own wastewater in a planted wetland, and two biogas digesters turn the school's toilet waste into cooking gas.
When it happens
Opens July 2028 (planned).
- The land
- Studies and approvals
- The builder
- Foundations
- Walls and roof
- Finishes, power and water
- Equipment
- Opening
Read more: approvals and stages
Approvals
| Approval | From whom | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The campus approvals (land, consultations, district, environmental certificate) | See the campus chance | Not yet granted | |
| Permit to generate and sell electricity from a mini-grid | Electricity Regulatory Authority | Not yet granted | |
| Permits to drill and to take groundwater | Ministry of Water and Environment, Directorate of Water Resources Management | Not yet granted | |
| Agreement on lines near the public network | Uganda Electricity Distribution Company | Not yet granted |
Its stages
- The land. Done means: Land in a place with at least 20,000 people within 5 km, checked against Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR population figures; its title, or a written allocation from the Office of the Prime Minister, in Donum Foundation's name, checked by our lawyer.
- Studies and approvals. Done means: Surveys, the environmental and social impact certificate, approved drawings, and every approval this project needs, each recorded on the chance page.
- The builder. Done means: Three written quotes from builders our team has checked; one chosen and the reason written down. The chosen quote replaces this estimate on the page.
- Foundations. Done means: Foundations and floor slabs inspected and signed off by the supervising engineer.
- Walls and roof. Done means: Walls up and roof on, inspected and signed off.
- Finishes, power and water. Done means: Doors, windows, plaster, paint, wiring, plumbing, power and water working, inspected.
- Equipment. Done means: Furniture and equipment in place and checked against the list.
- Opening. Done means: The confirmation of delivery signed by the community's leaders, with photos, and the running costs in place.
What it costs, and why
Where the building money goes
- $0.84 million for 550 kW of panels, mounts, inverters, a 1,200 kWh battery, installation and monitoring.
- $0.25 million for the campus network, 6 km of lines to the trading centre and 250 prepaid meters.
- $0.39 million for solar-pumped boreholes, tanks, treatment and rainwater harvesting.
- $0.54 million for design, import charges, VAT and contingency.
Where the running money goes
- $54,800 a year for the plant manager, technicians, customer agents and a water operator.
- $38,800 saved every year to replace batteries and inverters on schedule; $20,200 for servicing.
Running this place costs $150,700 a year. At 4% a year, that needs $3,767,500 invested in the Donum Endowment, which is never spent: only its returns pay the running costs, every year.
Every part
None yet. Choose All to see everything.
The solar plant $838,336 · still needs $838,336 · Planned
-
550 kW of solar panels (bifacial, 25 to 30 year warranty)
$121,000 · still needs $121,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 550 kW at USD 220 a kW delivered
-
Galvanised steel ground mounts on concrete footings
$66,000 · still needs $66,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 550 kW at USD 120 a kW
-
Inverters and battery converters, 400 kW
$56,000 · still needs $56,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 400 kW at USD 140 a kW
-
1,200 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery in containers, with fire suppression
$360,000 · still needs $360,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1,200 kWh at USD 300 a kWh
-
Installation, cabling, protection, earthing and lightning protection
$82,500 · still needs $82,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 550 kW at USD 150 a kW
-
Remote monitoring of the plant
$25,000 · still needs $25,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
200 kVA standby generator with a 5,000 litre fuel tank, for long cloudy spells
$52,055 · still needs $52,055 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Uganda price with installation; our estimate
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Power house and control room
$42,740 · still needs $42,740 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
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Fence around the solar field, 620 m
$22,082 · still needs $22,082 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 620 m at UGX 130,000 a metre
-
Lights and cameras for the solar field
$10,959 · still needs $10,959 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Power lines $248,890 · still needs $248,890 · Planned
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Underground cables to every building on the campus
$95,890 · still needs $95,890 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
6 km of power lines into the nearby trading centre
$108,000 · still needs $108,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 6 km at USD 18,000 a km
-
Connections and prepaid smart meters for the first 250 shops, mills, workshops and homes
$45,000 · still needs $45,000 · Planned
$180 a connection with a meter, 250 needed
How we reached this figure: 250 at USD 180
-
Water for the campus $389,045 · still needs $389,045 · Planned
-
Groundwater survey and the drilling and water-use permits
$4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
Can start before approvals
-
3 boreholes about 120 m deep, cased and test-pumped (one kept as a spare)
$45,204 · still needs $45,204 · Planned
$15,068 a borehole, 3 needed
How we reached this figure: 3 at UGX 55,000,000
-
3 solar borehole pumps with their own panels and controllers
$32,877 · still needs $32,877 · Planned
$10,959 a solar pump, 3 needed
How we reached this figure: 3 at UGX 40,000,000
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Water treatment: chlorine dosing, and ultraviolet for the health centre; a water testing kit
$12,329 · still needs $12,329 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
100,000 litre steel tank on a 15 m tower
$49,315 · still needs $49,315 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
300,000 litre concrete ground reservoir
$41,096 · still needs $41,096 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Water pipes, valves and a meter at every building
$32,877 · still needs $32,877 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Rain tanks at every building: 40 tanks of 10,000 litres with gutters
$43,840 · still needs $43,840 · Planned
$1,096 a rain tank, 40 needed
How we reached this figure: 40 at UGX 4,000,000
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Fire hydrants and hose reels
$13,699 · still needs $13,699 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Wastewater treatment for the whole campus: sewers and a planted treatment wetland
$68,493 · still needs $68,493 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
2 biogas digesters of 100 m3 for the school kitchen, fed from the school's toilets
$38,356 · still needs $38,356 · Planned
$19,178 a biogas digester, 2 needed
How we reached this figure: 2 at UGX 70,000,000
-
A connection to the public water main as a backup, where it reaches the campus
$6,849 · still needs $6,849 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Design, licences and training $73,864 · still needs $73,864 · Planned
-
Engineering design and the electricity regulator's permit to sell power
$32,877 · still needs $32,877 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
Can start before approvals
-
Regulator and utility application fees
$4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
Can start before approvals
-
Training our own technicians, with the makers of the equipment
$10,959 · still needs $10,959 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Spare parts: panels, fuses, an inverter module
$25,918 · still needs $25,918 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 3% of $863,500 imported equipment
-
Fees, taxes and contingency $535,095 · still needs $535,095 · Planned
-
Architect, engineers, quantity surveyor and site supervision (8% of the building work)
$35,973 · still needs $35,973 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 8% of $449,753 building and outside works; usual practice in Uganda
Can start before approvals
-
Allowance for prices rising before building starts (6%)
$26,986 · still needs $26,986 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 6% of building and outside works. Uganda inflation was 4.6% a year to Sep 2026, and energy and fuel 14.5% (UBOS)
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VAT on the builder's contract and fees (18%), unless Donum obtains an exemption
$92,301 · still needs $92,301 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 18% of works, price allowance and fees. If an exemption is granted, this line is returned to the project's other items
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Shipping, insurance and clearing of imported equipment (8%)
$69,068 · still needs $69,068 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 8% of $863,500 imported equipment; our estimate
-
Import declaration fee and infrastructure levy (2.5%)
$23,315 · still needs $23,315 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1% import declaration fee and 1.5% infrastructure levy on customs value (External Trade (Amendment) Act 2025)
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VAT on imported equipment (18%), unless it is exempt
$97,890 · still needs $97,890 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 18% of customs value. Deep-cycle batteries are VAT-exempt since 1 July 2025 and carry no VAT here
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Contingency for what nobody can see yet (10%)
$189,562 · still needs $189,562 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 10% of everything above. Whatever is not used goes to this project's running costs (its endowment)
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Keeping it running: its share of the Donum Endowment $3,767,500 · still needs $3,767,500 · Planned
-
Staff pay, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$1,370,000 · still needs $1,370,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $54,800 a year divided by 4%
-
Upkeep and servicing, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$505,000 · still needs $505,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $20,200 a year divided by 4%
-
Fuel, supplies and services, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$595,000 · still needs $595,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $23,800 a year divided by 4%
-
Replacing equipment as it wears out, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$970,000 · still needs $970,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $38,800 a year divided by 4%
-
Audits, licences and surveys, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$67,500 · still needs $67,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $2,700 a year divided by 4%
-
Insurance, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$260,000 · still needs $260,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $10,400 a year divided by 4%
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Read more: running costs, line by line
| Running cost | A year |
|---|---|
| Power and water team: plant manager, 3 technicians, 2 customer agents, water operator | $54,800 |
| Servicing the solar plant and battery (1.5% of their cost a year) | $10,300 |
| Diesel for the standby generator, about 10,000 litres a year | $16,400 |
| Servicing the generator | $4,100 |
| Replacing the battery after about 12 years | $30,000 |
| Replacing the inverters after about 12 years | $4,700 |
| Replacing borehole pumps after about 8 years | $4,100 |
| Water treatment chemicals and testing | $4,900 |
| Permit and licence renewals | $2,700 |
| Meter data and monitoring | $2,500 |
| Upkeep of tanks, pipes and the wastewater wetland (1.5%) | $5,800 |
| Insurance (0.5%) | $10,400 |
| Total | $150,700 |
Earned income we expect but do not count when sizing the endowment:
- Power sold in the trading centre: about 350 kWh a day at UGX 900 a kWh, 85% collected: $26,775 a year
These are estimates, in 2026 prices. Before anything is bought, a quote from a builder or seller we checked replaces each one, and this page shows the change.
Who runs it, who pays, and who else is there
Model A. Donum owns and runs it. The campus gets its power and water at cost, paid from the endowment. Power sold in the trading centre goes through a company the foundation owns, and its income is never counted on.
- The Kikagati hydropower plant in Isingiro sells to the national grid. Selling power to third parties needs a licence or an exemption from the Electricity Regulatory Authority, which is in the approvals list. Power sold in the trading centre goes through a company the foundation owns, and its income is never counted on.
Read more: keeping it running
Donum runs the plant with its own team: a plant manager who is an electrical engineer, three technicians, two customer agents and a water operator, all trained with the makers of the equipment. Servicing, generator fuel, water treatment and permits are paid from the endowment. Every year an amount is saved to replace the battery and inverters after about twelve years and the pumps after about eight. Power sold in the trading centre goes through a company the foundation owns, and that income is kept as a reserve, never counted on.
Running it costs $150,700 a year, paid from the returns of its share of the Donum Endowment.
What it will achieve
- Power at every campus building, day and night, with the plant up at least 99% of the time; the oxygen plant is its largest load.
- About 250 businesses and homes in the trading centre connected in the first year.
- Water for every place on the campus; a school kitchen that burns no firewood.
Read more: how we worked these numbers out
Cost against tenders. Ugandan mini-grid tenders paid about EUR 2 to 2.5 per installed watt (GET.transform, 2020-12), about EUR 1.1 to 1.4 million for 550 kW. Our solar plant and power lines come to $1.09 million before fees, taxes and contingency, which are counted separately; with their share of those, about $1.46 million, in the same range. The campus water system is on top.
Load is measured before the trading-centre network is designed, so the 250 connections match what people will use.
How we will know
- Hours the plant was up
- Customers connected and power sold
- Litres of water supplied and tested safe
- Firewood the kitchen did not burn
Read more: what could go wrong
- Batteries and inverters wear out. Their replacement is saved for every year from the first year, so the money is there when they are due.
- The regulator does not permit power sales. The campus still gets all its power. Only the trading centre lines wait, and they are the last thing built.
Questions people ask
Why not connect to the national grid?
Most of the settlement is not on it, an oxygen plant and a newborn unit cannot wait out power cuts, and our own plant has a battery for the night. If the grid arrives, the campus connects to it as a backup.
Why your own water when the Kagera project is coming?
No date has been published for Nakivale. Boreholes give the campus water now; the public main becomes the backup when it comes.
Who pays when batteries wear out?
The endowment: $38,800 is set aside every year so replacements are paid for before they are needed.
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