World Bank may refinance Uganda's Bujagali hydropower project

The World Bank is considering a refinancing package for the controversial Bujagali hydropower project in Uganda - a 250MW hydropower station built on the River Nile - amid a campaign from civil society groups and the bank's own watchdogs. The project was funded by the World Bank, European development finance institutions, and private financing in 2012 but needs additional financing to make the electricity it produces more affordable to Ugandans.

Activists have urged the bank to use the refinancing deal as an opportunity to settle outstanding compensation claims from impacted communities; and to push the Ugandan government to protect a key ecological site downstream.