ENGIE Equatorial – E-outboards for fishermen on Lake Victoria (Uganda)

ENGIE Equatorial piloted 15 electric outboards powered by Li-ion batteries for fishing on Lake Victoria, Uganda. The project demonstrated that while equipment costs are high, economic viability is possible, with fishermen seeing operation cost reductions of 20-60% and gasoline savings of 1,628 to 2,750 litres per boat annually. Technical challenges included equipment damage from heavy use and difficulties with battery-swapping logistics, leading to recommendations for more robust hardware and battery modules weighing no more than 30 kg.

• The e-mobility pilot deployed 15 boats equipped with electric outboards and Li-ion battery banks, achieving a maximum operating range of 20-45 km depending on weather, loading, and speed.
• The project estimates significant environmental and financial benefits, including annual CO2 emission savings between 57 and 96 tonnes and a reduction in operational costs for fishermen of 20-60%. Each boat saves approximately 1,628 to 2,750 litres of gasoline per year.
• Technical challenges include high equipment costs and vulnerability to damage from heavy use. To mitigate this, the project replaced outboard propellers with more robust materials and emphasized community engagement on maintenance.
• While battery-swapping is feasible, the difficulty of removing modules on a dock suggests that battery modules should be limited to a maximum weight of 30 kg each.
• The project was supported by a solar hybrid mini-grid on Lolwe island that provides power to over 3,800 households and businesses, as well as a fish drier, four ice machines, and a water purification facility.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (2023). ENGIE Equatorial – E-outboards for fishermen on Lake Victoria (Uganda). https://renewelec.org/case-study/engie-equatorial-e-outboards-fishermen-lake-victoria-uganda/

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. ENGIE Equatorial – E-outboards for fishermen on Lake Victoria (Uganda). 2023. https://renewelec.org/case-study/engie-equatorial-e-outboards-fishermen-lake-victoria-uganda/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=ENGIE Equatorial – E-outboards for fishermen on Lake Victoria (Uganda) |date=20 January 2023 |url=https://renewelec.org/case-study/engie-equatorial-e-outboards-fishermen-lake-victoria-uganda/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrification2023engie, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{ENGIE Equatorial – E-outboards for fishermen on Lake Victoria (Uganda)}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://renewelec.org/case-study/engie-equatorial-e-outboards-fishermen-lake-victoria-uganda/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }