Kenya set to link Ethiopia-Tanzania national power grid by 2022

The construction of the electricity interconnectors linking Kenya’s transmission lines to the Ethiopian and Tanzanian national power grids will be completed in 2022, a government official said on Friday.

Antony Wamukota, acting managing director of the state-owned Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) told an electricity forum in Nairobi, that the Kenya-Ethiopia power grid will be completed in October while the Kenya-Tanzania line will be finished by December.“The purpose of the connections with neighbours is to operationalize the East Africa power pool that seeks to facilitate regional power trade,” Antony Wamukota, during the Ketraco  third annual research conference

Wamukota revealed that the Ethiopia-Kenya power grid comprises a high voltage transmission line of 612 km on the Kenyan side and will be funded by several donors including the African Development Bank (AfDB).“The transmission line to Ethiopia will evacuate hydropower from Ethiopia which is much cheaper electricity as compared to Kenya and will result in lower energy costs to consumers,” Antony Wamukota.

According to the state-owned utility, the Kenya-Tanzania connector will link Kenya’s electricity grid to the Southern Africa power pool.

He further added that the Kenya-Tanzania regional interconnector will involve a high voltage transmission line that will pass the Namanga border point and is about 93 km on the Kenyan side.

“The electricity interconnections will permit the trade of electricity from countries with surplus power to those with a power deficit,” Antony Wamukota.