Energy

Power and fuel: more dams, dearer petrol

Hydro power capacity grew 37% in 2023 alone, to 1,511 MW. About 82% of Uganda’s 1,846 MW of generating capacity is hydro.

Power plants can produce

1,846 MW

installed capacity, 2023

From hydro dams

82%

1,511 MW

Electricity customers

3.6 million

2021

Petrol, per litre

UGX 5,226

average, 2023

How much electricity Uganda can generate

Installed capacity by source, megawatts (MW)

Hydro
Bagasse (sugar-cane waste)
Solar
Thermal (oil)

Year	Hydro	Bagasse (sugar-cane waste)	Solar	Thermal (oil)
2023	1,511 MW	148 MW	87 MW	101 MW
2022	1,099 MW	112 MW	65 MW	100 MW
2021	1,058 MW	112 MW	61 MW	100 MW
2020	1,016 MW	112 MW	61 MW	100 MW
2019	1,004 MW	96 MW	51 MW	101 MW

Homes and businesses on the grid

Electricity customers, all distributors

Year	All electricity customers
2021	3,583,862
2020	3,317,156
2019	3,148,497
2018	2,744,347
2017	2,389,848
2016	1,998,881
2015	1,745,672

2015

2021

Fuel: what it costs and how much we use

Petrol’s biggest price jump came in 2022: +42%, to UGX 5,757 a litre.

Pump prices

Average retail price, UGX per litre

Petrol
Diesel
Kerosene

Year	Petrol	Diesel	Kerosene
2023	5,226	5,034	4,506
2022	5,757	5,494	4,135
2021	4,052	3,616	3,112
2020	3,851	3,473	3,080
2019	4,085	3,777	3,142
2018	4,023	3,590	3,005
2017	3,549	3,022	2,574
2016	3,366	2,640	2,475
2015	3,592	2,891	2,684
2014	3,703	3,224	2,860
2013	3,738	3,264	2,854

2013

2023

Fuel sold in Uganda

Cubic metres a year (1 m³ = 1,000 litres)

Petrol
Diesel
Kerosene
Jet fuel

Year	Petrol	Diesel	Kerosene	Jet fuel
2023	1,243,375	1,070,665	48,673	163,616
2022	1,115,979	976,272	50,490	152,859
2021	1,066,255	1,057,735	50,605	107,867
2020	942,054	995,122	49,348	82,082
2019	1,010,291	1,031,162	52,620	130,002
2018	926,487	1,012,542	60,474	144,635
2017	904,149	936,623	55,535	127,871
2016	795,167	870,395	57,443	125,245
2015	780,432	826,542	61,179	133,324
2014	658,149	752,410	70,143	145,227

2014

2023

About these numbers

Fuel prices and sales join two UBOS releases (2013–2021 and 2019–2023); where they overlap we checked that they agree before joining. Older sales figures in litres were converted to cubic metres.

Problems we found in the source data

In UBOS’s 2021 table the renewable sources add up to 1,230 MW, but its renewables total says 1,247 MW. The chart shows the individual sources.

Where this comes from

Uganda Bureau of Statistics tables used on this page: