Ethiopia to add to Kenya’s National Grid

Last Updated 14 years ago by Kenya Engineer

The deal to import electricity from Ethiopia is set to be finalized this week. The deal which started back in 2006 will see 400MW of electricity added to the national grid at a cost of Sh54 billion. This comes at a time when the country’s demand for energy is going up following the massive developments going on.

The Ethiopia –Kenya power interconnection project will involve laying out a 1,045-kilometre high voltage electricity transmission line and building of a base station at Suswa from where power lines will be pulled up to Sodo in Ethiopia. The transmission line route runs adjacent to the Marsabit –Moyale road southwards avoiding the Marsabit National Park. The Gibe III dam, with an associated hydroelectric power plant will be used to generate the power. The dam set to be completed in 2013 will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa with a power output of about 1870MW.

Ethiopia is endowed with a huge hydro-power potential of about 45,000 MW. Kenya however has an installed capacity of 1,180 megawatts against the domestic demand of 1,194 megawatts. It thus seeks to boost the national grid as well as cushion the country from power shortages especially during dry seasons by importing more power from outside. The country also aims at investing at alternative sources other than the expensive thermal energy so as to stabilize energy supply which has caused increase in cost of running business in the country.

The project which is part of the plan to establish a regional power pool is being financed by the French Development Agency, African Development Bank, International Development Association and the Kenya Government. The plan is to ensure efficient distribution of energy resources from areas with high supply to those with less. The power project is set to be completed by the year 2014.

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