UMEME

Umeme Limited is Uganda’s main electricity distribution company with 37,352km of network distribution lines servicing more than 1.5 million domestic and commercial customers. Based in the capital city of Kampala, it’s 1619 employees work to distribute 97% of Uganda’s electricity supply.

In Africa, Umeme sees severe ground conditions that result in an average pole life of just 8-10 years with a pole replacement rate of 72,000 poles per year.

High average temperatures combined with damp ground conditions and regular rainfall create the ideal conditions for wood decay and termite attack. This produces decay rates that can be up to five times greater than those seen in Northern Europe and North America, significantly impacting pole maintenance and replacement costs.

According to Dan Tumuhimbise, Umeme Engineering Service Manager, ‘Decay and termites are the biggest enemies to our pole longevity, accounting for nearly 95% of all Umeme wooden pole failures.’ He said, ‘The high decay rate had forced the Government in 2017 to consider using concrete poles in place of wooden ones to save on costs and improve distribution efficiency. However, wooden poles are easier to monitor and fix, and easier to move so it makes sense to continue using them if we have a method of preserving them’.

Umemes' priorities included a reduction of power outages, improvements in distribution efficiency and increased supply reliability. To address these priorities, Polesaver worked closely with Umeme to understand their specific challenges and educate them on the causes of ground-line decay and how to protect their wooden poles.

By utilising the patented Polesaver sleeves, Umeme’s utility network would benefit from a substantial extension of the life of their poles with an expected life of 40 years or more, protecting the quality of service to its customers.

In 2017, Umeme adopted the Polesaver ground line decay prevention sleeve technology and began a comprehensive training program.

More than 50 installation engineers attended a two-day training session at its headquarters in Kampala, Uganda. The purpose of the training was to demonstrate the correct method of applying a Polesaver sleeve to wooden utility poles.

A practical demonstration was given by Polesaver representative, Peter Williams, in Umeme’s pole yard on how to correctly apply Polesaver sleeves to poles. During the course of the training, each delegate was given the opportunity to apply several Polesaver sleeves and at the end of the day each person was assessed and presented with a certificate of competence.

Mr. Kevin Bwire, Umeme Network Asset Information Manager, was excited about the RFID technology incorporated into the Polesaver sleeves saying, ‘This will enable Umeme to map out and manage its pole network more effectively.’ The RFID technology enables companies to identify the exact GPS location of each pole in its network. Also, additional information can be assigned to the company’s database, for example, date of installation, who supplied the pole, type of preservative used and schedule of future inspections. Photographs of the pole can also be uploaded to the company’s asset tracking database, to enable engineers to track the condition of each pole in its network.

Umeme began a national roll out of the Polesaver solution in June 2017. Since then, all poles installed by Umeme have been fitted with Polesaver ground line barrier sleeves.

More than 350 contractors have undergone extensive training in Polesaver’s unique pole saving technologies and the business has adopted a solution that now delivers improved network reliability and significant cost savings of $14 million/year.

Dan Tumuhimbise explained, ‘Using Polesaver sleeves aligns extremely well with Umeme’s core values of Safety, Customer Service and Innovation’. Furthermore, he said ‘Umeme are always looking for better ways to do things, and by adopting Polesaver sleeves, this clearly shows that Umeme are embracing new technology. Wooden utility poles with Polesaver applied, will be safer and the electrical networks they support will be more reliable, thus leading to better customer service and reduced costs’

To learn more about how Polesaver can benefit your utility get in touch with us today