Last Updated 2 hours ago by Kenya Engineer
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) has energized the 86.4-kilometre, 132kV Nanyuki–Rumuruti transmission line, completing a major new electricity transmission link intended to improve supply reliability and network capacity in Laikipia County and the wider Mount Kenya region.
The line was energized at 16:04 hours on 2 October, with the 132kV and 33kV voltages confirmed stable following the connection between Nanyuki and Rumuruti.
The project addresses a long-standing supply constraint in Rumuruti, which has traditionally been supplied through an extended 33kV distribution network from Lanet. The new transmission connection is expected to shorten the distribution network serving Rumuruti by approximately 50 per cent, reducing technical losses while improving the quality and reliability of electricity supply.
The transmission line has been constructed as an 86.4-kilometre, 132kV single-circuit line using double-circuit towers. A significant feature of the project is the approximately 16.8-kilometre underground cable section.
The underground section was adopted in the vicinity of Laikipia Airbase following operational and security concerns raised by the Kenya Defence Forces. Its design and implementation were undertaken in accordance with requirements set by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
The combination of overhead transmission infrastructure and underground cabling allows the new link to connect the Nanyuki and Rumuruti areas while addressing the specific aviation and security constraints along part of the route.
Beyond improving supply to Rumuruti, the new transmission infrastructure adds capacity to an area with growing agricultural and commercial activity. KETRACO says the improved network will support activities including agro-processing, irrigation, flower farming, manufacturing and hospitality, while providing greater flexibility in supplying Laikipia, Nyahururu and neighbouring areas.
The energization also adds another element to the strengthening of the high-voltage network around Nanyuki. It follows the recent energization of the 132kV Nanyuki–Isiolo transmission line, creating additional transmission infrastructure serving Nanyuki, Isiolo, Meru, Laikipia and the wider Upper Eastern region.
Speaking during the energization, KETRACO Managing Director Tom Imbo said the new infrastructure was intended to provide a stronger electricity supply platform for investment and economic activity.
“We are calling on small and medium-sized enterprises, industries and investors to come and invest in this region with greater confidence, because we are strengthening the power supply they need to grow,” said Imbo.
The project was jointly financed by the Government of Kenya, the African Development Bank and Exim Bank of India.
The underground cable component was undertaken by Dongfang Electric International Corporation and Qingdao Hanhe Cable Company Limited at a contract sum of USD14.3075 million. The overhead transmission line works were initially undertaken by Jyoti Structures Limited and subsequently completed by China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. (CAMCE) at a contract sum of USD4.580425 million.
With the Nanyuki–Rumuruti link now energized, KETRACO is expanding the high-voltage infrastructure available to an area where electricity demand is expected to grow alongside agricultural, industrial and commercial development.
The project forms part of the transmission company’s broader programme to expand and reinforce Kenya’s high-voltage network, improve supply resilience, evacuate electricity from generation centres and facilitate the movement of power across the national and regional grid.
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