- Kenya is on the pathway to solving its constant blackouts and electricity challenges as the construction of the multi-billion electricity highway connected to the neighbouring Ethiopia.
- The 1,045-kilometer transmission line will run between Suswa in Kenya and Wolayta-Sodo in Ethiopia and will enable the region to achieve unified connectivity to the grid.
Kenya is on the pathway to solving its constant blackouts and electricity challenges as the construction of the multi-billion electricity highway connected to the neighbouring Ethiopia hits the homestretch.
The project’s construction works officially began in 2023 after years of planning and is expected to help Kenya solve its electricity challenges coupled with many infrastructural and financial challenges to help generate and transmit power to its citizens.
”Around 2010, countries in East Africa, as an energy pool, decided that it was essential to have an interconnected hub so that everyone could use and exploit energy and support each other,” John Mativo, the Managing Director of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) said.
The 1,045-kilometer transmission line will run between Suswa in Kenya and Wolayta-Sodo in Ethiopia and will enable the region to achieve unified connectivity to the grid.
According to official documents, the project is set to cost both Kenya and Ethiopia a total of US$1.26 billion (Ksh163.8 billion) at the current exchange rates. The World Bank, the Agence Française de Développement, and the governments of the two countries are the key financiers of the project.
The African Development Bank also contributed a total of US$338 million (Ksh43.94 billion) to fund the project. Documents also show that Ethiopia will contribute its hydroelectricity to the grid while Kenya will contribute geothermal and wind power.
Currently, Kenya generates approximately 800 to 900 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power, which makes up about 40 per cent of its total electricity capacity, which is mainly generated from the Olkaria power station in the Rift Valley.
Additionally, the Lake Turkana Windpower Project(LTWP) has a total installed capacity of 310 MW, consisting of 365 wind turbines. It provides about 17 per cent of Kenya’s total electricity supply, making wind power a significant contributor to the national grid.
Ethiopia on the other hand generates over 4,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity from hydropower, making it the largest producer of electricity in East Africa. Upon completion, the project is set to not only help Kenya but also the East African countries, who are expected to also draw power from the grid upon completion.
According to Intelligent CIO, the project will use modern High Voltage Direct Current technology(HVDC), which will make it easier to transport electricity over long-distance transmission lines.
”The reason we are using HVDC technology is to minimise energy wastage and reduce power losses in the transmission line energy wastage and reduce the costs of constructing transmission lines; it is also easy to operate and improve grid stability in operating the interconnection from the power grids of different countries,” Tewoderos Ayalew, the site manager at Ethiopian Electric Power told Intelligent CIO.