Recently, a joint mission bringing together the European Union, the Ministry of Energy and Dams of South Sudan, the South Sudan Electricity Corporation, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and NELSAP-CU visited Nimule to assess progress on the South Sudan–Uganda 400 kV Power Interconnection Project (SUPIP) and inspect the Grand Fulla hydropower potential site along the White Nile.
The delegation walked the transmission corridor along the Juba–Nimule highway, visited the proposed 400/132 kV Bibia substation site on the Ugandan side, and received a technical briefing on Grand Fulla and the Fulla Rapids. These two hydropower opportunities could fundamentally reshape South Sudan's energy landscape.
Grand Fulla alone carries an estimated generation potential of 1,080 MW. Its proximity to the SUPIP transmission line means power could flow to Juba without additional high-voltage infrastructure. Beyond South Sudan, the site sits within a regional cascade identified under the Nile Basin Investment Program, with potential to feed into the Eastern Africa Power Pool and deliver benefits to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Local leaders in Nimule called for urgency to accelerate Grand Fulla. The Mayor of Nimule Municipality and the Commissioner of Magwi County both appealed to the EU and the Ministry of Energy to move the project beyond planning.
NELSAP-CU Regional Coordinator Dr. Eng. Isaac Alukwe reaffirmed the institution's role in coordinating hydropower development across the Nile Basin, noting that Grand Fulla alongside Shukoli, Lakki, and Bedden are part of a priority pipeline projects endorsed by Nile Basin Countries.
The EU Ambassador confirmed the Union's readiness to support resource mobilization for feasibility studies and environmental and social assessments. The Minister of Energy and Dams, Hon. Agok Makur, affirmed that SUPIP remains the immediate priority, but Grand Fulla is firmly in the government's long-term energy strategy.
Two projects. One corridor. One shared vision for a powered South Sudan.