Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

The Isimba Hydropower Plant constructed by China International Water & Electric Corp. (CWE), a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), is an important livelihood project in Uganda.

9.1 Uganda Isimba Hydropower Plant

The Isimba Hydropower Plant constructed by China International Water & Electric Corp. (CWE), a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), is an important livelihood project in Uganda. During the construction of the project, CWE actively fulfilled its corporate social responsibilities. CWE not only brought more job opportunities to the local area and helped to improve working skills of the local workers, but also repaired local access roads to provide transportation convenience for the local residents, rebuilt local primary schools and donated desks, chairs and stationery, and invited the Chinese medical team in Uganda to provide the local residents with community medical services.

9.1.1 Background

The Isimba hydropower project is located on the White Nile River in southern Uganda, between Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga, just 4 km away from Simba Falls, hence its name. The operation of the Isimba Hydropower Plant increases Uganda’s installed generating capacity by approximately 20%, which will significantly alleviate the country’s power shortage. According to the book Uganda Goes Big on Infrastructure, the Isimba hydropower project is one of the most important hydropower projects in Uganda, playing a critical role in easing the country’s energy shortage crisis and accelerating economic development (Fig. 9.1).¹

Fig. 9.1

Cover of Uganda goes big on infrastructure

9.1.2 Project Overview

The Isimba Hydropower Plant and its supporting transmission line project is constructed by CWE, a subsidiary of CTG, under the EPC contracts, with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda as the owner. The contract value of the project is USD 568 million, among which 85% is provided by the Export–Import Bank of China in the form of preferential loans as supporting funds and 15% is raised by the Ugandan government. The project was signed in September 2013 and commenced on April 30, 2015.

The Isimba Hydropower Plant is designed with a total installed capacity of 183.2 MW and is equipped with four Kaplan turbine units to yield an average annual generation capacity of 1.039 billion kWh. The first phase of the project, which includes the power station hub project as well as the 132 kV switching station and supporting 132 kV transmission line project, was completed and handed over on April 12, 2019 (Fig. 9.2).

Fig. 9.2

Aerial view of the Isimba hydropower plant

The second phase of the project consists of a downstream permanent public bridge and an access road, to be specific, a downstream public bridge and its attached roads and a 3.5-km access road. The downstream permanent public bridge and its attached roads, with a total length of 2.126 km, are located about 500 m downstream of the Isimba Dam, starting from Nampanyi Village, crossing the Nile River in southeast direction and ending at Bugumira Village. The permanent public bridge, with a total length of 890.5 m, is divided into two sections that stand on the two sides of the channel respectively. The downstream public bridge is expected to be completed and open to traffic at the end of 2020 and will be a permanent passageway bridging the two sides of the Nile River (Fig. 9.3).

Fig. 9.3

The downstream public bridge

9.1.3 Environment and Social Management

The project team strictly implemented the Environment and Social Management Plan (ESMP), and stuck to environmental protection management through dust control, noise reduction, sewage treatment, solid waste disposal, soil and water conservation and biodiversity and water environment protection during the construction. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Labor, Wildlife Conservation Organization and Fishery Protection Organization of Uganda conducted supervision on the whole process of project implementation. Thanks to the strict environmental management measures, the project team has been highly recognized by the owner and the supervisory authorities in the aspect of environmental protection. No environmental accident has occurred during the construction, and no administrative penalty has been received from any ministries, commissions or organizations of Uganda (Fig. 9.4).

Fig. 9.4

Domestic sewage treatment system

Although the land acquisition and resettlement for the Isimba hydropower project was carried out by the Ugandan government, the project team still took the initiative to assign professional community coordinators to help the owner and government departments introduce the project construction and assist with community work related to construction disturbance, which has achieved good results.

9.1.4 Employment and Training

In order to promote local employment, the project team required that the priority should be given to Ugandan workers in hiring for certain positions and types of work in the stage of allocating and preparing construction resources, to ensure a proportion of Ugandan workers not less than 70%, and actively organized skill trainings for local employees to improve their working skills. At the peak of the project, about 3,200 employees were taking part in the construction, of which about 2,700 were Ugandan and about 500 were Chinese, with Ugandan employees accounting for 84.4% of the total number. The Ugandan employees served as safety engineers, environmental engineers, community coordinators, administrative assistants, medical personnel, drivers, heavy equipment operators, welders, wood patternmakers, electricians, drillers, steel fixers, bricklayers, repairmen and other types of technicians as well as general physical laborers.

Considering that the Uganda employees are less skilled, the project team invited local government departments and skilled Chinese workers to give them a series of skill trainings, including those for mechanics, wood patternmakers, drivers, operators, welders, lathe mechanics, first aiders and firefighters. Through theoretical coaching, massed learning, pre-job education, hands-on mentoring, operation demonstration and self-learning, the Ugandan employees have constantly improved their skills by combining theory with practice in their work (Figs. 9.5, 9.6 and 9.7).

Fig. 9.5

Training in machine maintenance

Fig. 9.6

Training in job skills

Fig. 9.7

Training in first-aid knowledge

9.1.5 Active Fulfillment of Corporate Social Responsibilities

• (1) Improve Local Traffic Conditions

  In the early stage of the project, the roads in the surrounding communities were potholed and dilapidated, and flooded heavily during the rainy season, seriously affecting the daily travel of the community residents. Moreover, some communities had no tap water so that residents often walked through bushes to get water from the river. The project team, after a field survey, assembled road rollers, bulldozers, dump trucks, loaders and other construction equipment to build gutterways and lay pipelines and pave roads for getting water, thus improved the traffic conditions of surrounding communities in a planned and gradual way. Altogether, considerable results have been achieved.

  In June 2015, the project team widened and rebuilt the road from Kiterede Village to the Nile River, which facilitated the daily travel and domestic use of water for more than 1,000 people living in the surrounding communities (Fig. 9.8).

  Fig. 9.8

  

  Road from Kiterede village to the Nile river

  In February 2016, the project team rehabilitated rural roads in Nampanyi Village on the left bank of the dam area, facilitating the daily travel of more than 1,500 people living in the surrounding communities (Fig. 9.9).

  Fig. 9.9

  

  Rural road in Nampanyi village

  In May 2016, the project team widened and repaired the rural road from Busaana Town to the entrance of the project site, facilitating the daily travel of more than 20,000 people living in the surrounding communities (Fig. 9.10).

  Fig. 9.10

  

  Rural road in Busaana town

  In June 2017, the project team assembled construction equipment including graders, loaders, dump trucks, sprinkling cars, bulldozers, loader-diggers and road rollers to maintain the main roads connecting Kayunga, Busaana and Kasaana to improve traffic conditions for the surrounding residents (Fig. 9.11).

  Fig. 9.11

  

  Main roads connecting Kayunga, Busaana and Kasaana

• (2) Provide Free Medical Services

  On the project site, a hospital, equipped with ambulances, medical equipment, full range of medicines and medical staff including two Chinese physicians, two local physicians and two local nurses, was established to provide free medical services for all employees and their families. In addition, the project team regularly organized or invited Chinese medical teams in Uganda to hold community health service activities, conducting health training for the surrounding communities, disseminating knowledge on AIDS and malaria prevention, providing free diagnosis and treatment on common diseases and distributing medicines, to help improve the health conditions of the community residents.

  In March 2015, the project team, in collaboration with Chinese medical teams in Uganda, organized a free clinic in Kayunga District on the left bank of the dam area to conduct health check-ups for the community residents, disseminate knowledge on disease prevention and distribute free medicines for common diseases, benefiting more than 600 people (Fig. 9.12).

  Fig. 9.12

  

  Free clinic in Kayunga district

  In November 2015, the project team, in collaboration with Chinese medical teams in Uganda, organized a free clinic in Kamuli District on the right bank of the dam area to conduct health check-ups for the community residents, disseminate knowledge on disease prevention and distribute free medicines for common diseases, benefiting more than 700 people (Fig. 9.13).

  Fig. 9.13

  

  Free clinic in Kamuli district

  In December 2016, the project team funded the Busaana Health Centre III (Busaana HC III) to hold a 3-day community health service activity in Busaana Town, Nampanyi Village and Kasaana Village to disseminate knowledge on AIDS and malaria prevention, give training in family health programs, conduct health check-ups for children in the communities and distribute free medicines, benefiting more than 1,000 people (Fig. 9.14).

  Fig. 9.14

  

  Community health service in Busaana town

  From October to December 2017, the project team organized local physicians, nurses and community coordinators to hold community health service activities in villages of Kotwe, Bukamba, Bulangira and Bwase-Buseta in Kamuli District on the right bank of the dam area to launch training for local residents in AIDS prevention, malaria prevention and family health, conduct health check-ups for children in the communities and distribute free medicines, benefiting more than 1,500 residents (Fig. 9.15).

  Fig. 9.15

  

  Community health service activities in Kotwe village and Bukamba village in Kamuli district

• (3) Improve Local Educational Conditions

  The schools near the project site were challenged by underdeveloped hardware facilities and a serious lack of educational resources. The classroom doors, windows, walls, floors, desks and chairs were seriously worn, the drainage facilities and sanitation facilities on campus were inadequate, and the students often sat directly on the floor in class. Taking the actual situation into account, the project team, after a sufficient communication with the district government, improved the local educational conditions by donating school supplies and renovating the school buildings.

  In November 2014, the project team donated stationery including notebooks, school bags and pencil boxes to about 100 students at the Nurary Primary School (Fig. 9.16).

  Fig. 9.16

  

  Donation of school supplies at the Nurary primary school

  From March to May 2017, after repeated communications with the Kayunga District Government and the Kayunga District Education Bureau on the left bank of the dam area, in order to improve the conditions of the local school and the quality of local education, the project team organized a maintenance and renovation of Nakakandwa RC Primary School, including refurbishment of internal and external walls and floors, roof rebuilding, building reinforcement, repair or replacement of doors and windows, replenishment of desks and chairs, improvement of drainage facilities and construction of flag platform, and donated teachers’ desks and chairs, students’ desks and chairs, school bags, stationery and other office and school supplies, which greatly improved the conditions of the school (Figs. 9.17, 9.18 and 9.19).

  Fig. 9.17

  

  Nakakandwa RC primary school before the repair

  Fig. 9.18

  

  Nakakandwa RC primary school after the repair

  Fig. 9.19

  

  Donation ceremony at the Nakakandwa RC primary school

• (4) Donate Supplies to Local Residents

  In July 2013, the project team donated mosquito nets, footballs and other household and sporting goods to local residents on both banks of the dam area (Fig. 9.20).

  Fig. 9.20

  

  Donation of household and sporting goods to local residents

  In June 2014, the project team sponsored the Prolane Football Club of Kayunga to participate in the 13/14 season matches in the Buganda Region (Fig. 9.21).

  Fig. 9.21

  

  Sponsorship for the prolane football club of Kayunga

  In February 2015, the project team accompanied the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, Zhao Yali, to donate sewing machines, tractors, mattresses, televisions, footballs and other agricultural machinery and household goods to Kamuli District on the right bank of the dam area (Fig. 9.22).

  Fig. 9.22

  

  Donation activity in Kamuli district on the right bank of the dam area

  In December 2015, the project team accompanied the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, Zhao Yali, to donate sewing machines, tractors, mattresses, televisions, footballs and other agricultural machinery and household goods to Kayunga District on the left bank of the dam area (Fig. 9.23).

  Fig. 9.23

  

  Donation activity in Kayunga district on the left bank of the dam area

  In December 2016, the project team donated cement to the Busaana Town Government to improve the housing conditions of local residents, and the chairman of the town government presented the project team with a letter of appreciation (Fig. 9.24).

  Fig. 9.24

  

  Donation of cement to the Busaana town government

The project has been highly recognized by the Ugandan government, and in May 2019, the Uganda Post Office officially issued a series of stamps featuring images of the Isimba Hydropower Plant (Fig. 9.25).

Fig. 9.25

Stamp commemorating the Isimba hydropower plant of Uganda