NGOs ask President Wolfensohn to reconsider WBG commitment to Bujagali
10 January 2004
Ten civil society organizations sent a letter to World Bank Group President James Wolfensohn calling for a reassessment of Uganda's energy options before a restructured Bujagali Hydropower Project proceeds.
The National Association of Professional Environmentalists, International Rivers Network, and eight other NGOs have jointly submitted a letter to James Wolfensohn, calling on the World Bank Group to use the opportunity provided by AES's withdrawal from Bujagali in order to reconsider what would be the best power generation option to meet Uganda's energy needs. The letter highlights the corruption allegations surrounding Bujagali, poor economic analyses and incomplete alternatives assessments underlying the project, and the high cost of electricity to be produced by the dam, to demonstrate the need for a comprehensive reassessment of Uganda's energy demand and options before the Bank proceeds with its efforts to "resurrect" Bujagali.