A Waterfall Keeps the Lights on at Uganda's Kisiizi Hospital

Kisiizi Hospital sits beside the Kisiizi Falls in Rukungiri District, and a company set up to support the hospital runs the hydro plant. Its main 294 kW crossflow turbine (commissioned 2009) and an older 60 kW turbine (1984) keep the clinical areas powered around the clock on a dedicated hospital line, with a diesel set as standby. Surplus power is metered out to about 400 customers, including hospital staff and the wider public, which helps pay for running the plant. The 285-bed hospital depends on patient fees for roughly 40% of its funds, so cheap, home-grown power matters.