Kenyan transmission project to connect Olkaria IV plant to Nairobi
Power transmission lines in Kenya (source: flickr/ aaron.knox, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
7 Nov 2012
New construction project of a power substation and additional transmission lines will offer an outlet for the new 280 MW Olkaria IV geothermal power plant currently under construction, connecting it to the Nairobi Metropolitan area.
Kenya has signed a $59 million (Sh 5 billion) deal with a Spanish firm for the construction of a substation power project in the country. The plant will allow for the transmission of electricity imported from Ethiopia and a wind project to Nairobi.
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Ltd. (Ketraco) signed the power transmission project with Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion SAU for the construction of the 220kV ring around the Nairobi Metropolitan area. Today, the Nairobi area accounts for approximately 50 percent of the power demand of Kenya.
It is supposed to help increase the reliability of power transmission in Nairobi. Current estimates see the demand for electricity in Kenya to grow by an average rate of 14 percent annually from a capacity of 1,205 MW in 2011 to 15,065 MW in 2030.
The substation project, financed by Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the Kenyan Government – will also offer a future evacuation outlet for the 280 MW Olkaria Geothermal plant that is currently under construction. Current transmission lines are not connecting that project with the Nairobi transmission lines.
Source: Standard Media Kenya
