- The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) officially launched the Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission infrastructure project at an event graced by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta.
- The 400kV Loiyangalani Suswa Transmission Line is 438Km long, and evacuates 310MW of power from Lake Turkana Wind Power to Suswa substation in Kajiado County.
- It traverses six counties that include Marsabit, Samburu, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nakuru, Narok and Kajiado.
The launch of the Sh28 billion project will see an increase in electricity supply, quality, reliability and a reduction of power cost in the country. It was funded by the Government (75 per cent) and the Spanish Government (25 per cent) and is set to transmit 310MW, approximately 15 per cent of the country’s installed capacity.
The project that compliments the Government’s commitment to increase electricity generation to 5,000MW is part of Kenya’s Vision 2030 flagship projects, as well as being critical for achieving the Big Four Agenda on sustainable development.
With the 310MW added to the national grid, the President ordered a reduction on the cost of electricity to SMEs, noting that the high cost of power was a major challenge to their efforts of scaling up business. The project will harness the efficient, clean and affordable source of wind energy, from Loiyangalani area via the Lake Turkana Wind Power Plant (LTWP). Read more
The fibre optic cable will also be strung along the Loiyangalani-Suswa Transmission Line will promote broadband connectivity in areas it traverses enabling faster connectivity to voice, data and video services, security surveillance and other government digital services.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: KETRACO
