The 'Energy Mix' in Uganda

Uganda consumed about 14,000 barrels of oil per day in 2010, according to the CIA World Factbook, placing it at number 142 globally.

According to a 2011 presentation by Mackay Okure of Makerere University, traditional fuels (fuel wood and charcoal) remain the predominant source of energy for livelihoods in Uganda. 90 percent of the population relies on these fuels for energy consumption. The country also relies on limited hydropower capacity and petroleum products, all of which were imported as of late 2012, primarily through Kenya and Tanzania via trucks (in the absence of a completed pipeline crossing into Ugandan territory).

In March 2012 the Uganda's Water and Environment Minister announced an immediate 3-month ban on the harvesting of the nations timber, prompted by concerns over deforestation. According to the Charcoal Project this could have signifiant economic and practical impacts, given domestic dependence on these fuels and the absence of viable alternatives, despite government subsidies for liquid petroleum gas (LPG). They consider that societies must reach a critical threshold of economic development before they can reasonably be expected to switch over to more "modern" sources of fuel.

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