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Lugogo Substation

Oil power plant in Central Region, Uganda. Approximate location 0.358, 32.694.

OilCentral RegionUgandaEngine

Lugogo Substation is a 50 MW oil power plant in Central Region, Uganda. It is operated by Jacobsen. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 38k homes (estimated). It ranks #8 of 16 Uganda power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 years old — relatively modern. In context, oil supplies about 2.9% of Uganda's electricity; the national grid averages 59 gCO₂/kWh (97.1% low-carbon) (2024).

50Legacy source-record capacity
37,542homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023207.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLugogo Substation WRI
CountryUganda · Central Region WRI
Coordinates0.358, 32.694 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity50 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerJacobsen WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI
TechnologyEngine WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions98,550 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#8 of 16 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 2 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent37,542 calculated
Climate21.2°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Engine. Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Uganda

Lugogo Substation: 50 MW50Lugogo Sub…Mutundwe power station: 50 MW50Mutundwe p…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Jacobsen.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 0.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.2°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,178cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,169 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 22 °CON: 22 °CND: 21 °CD22 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
1.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
63 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest oil power plant of 2 in Uganda by capacity.

Uganda has 2 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 100 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 0.358, 32.694 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lugogo Substation?

Lugogo Substation is a 50 MW source-record oil power plant in Central Region, Uganda, commissioned in 2007.

How many homes can Lugogo Substation power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 37,542 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lugogo Substation?

Lugogo Substation is operated by Jacobsen.

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