Bids for the construction of a high-voltage power line that will connect Kenya and Tanzania has been invited. This is part of an initiative of helping meet the growing demand for electricity and deepen integration of their economies.
Approximately 510 km of 400 kV power lines will be built and also several substations that will allow the two regions trade in power will be set up.
The project which is to be funded through financing by the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will really come in handy as it will help in meeting the huge electricity demand in the region.
Bids are due by September 9, 2015.
In Africa, Kenya relies heavily on renewable energy like geothermal and hydro power and they intend to expand installed capacity to about 5,000 MW by 2017, from about 2 500 MW now. It also aims to halve bills from around $0.17/kWh to 0.18/kWh three or four years from now and also expanding generation.
Kenya has plans to add 5 000km of power lines to its existing 3 800km network by 2017.
According to the Energy Ministry, only a third of Kenya’s population is connected to the grid, neighbouring Tanzania aims to double its generation capacity to 3 000 MW by 2016. Southern Africa already has a series of high-voltage power line linking countries, including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, which allows them to trade power.
