The Kenya-Ethiopia Transmission line is a 1,045 km ‘electricity highway’ development between Kenya and Ethiopia. Construction on the project was completed and the power line stretches 433 km in Ethiopia and 612 km in Kenya.
The Kenya-Ethiopia Transmission line will be the first 500 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line in the region. The power line starts at the Wolayta-Sodo substation in Ethiopia and finally culminates at the Suswa substation in Kenya. It has a power transportation capacity of 2,000 MW in both directions.
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The construction costs for the entire Kenya-Ethiopia Transmission line project were estimated at over $830 million. The project was developed by a consortium of contractors based in Germany. The consortium included Siemens Energy, for the converter substation, along with KEC International of India, Larsen and Toubro of India, and Kalpataru Power Transmission of India.
The World Bank and African Development Bank provided up to 80% financial support for the Kenya-Ethiopia Transmission line. While China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company was in charge of overseeing the construction of the line.
Reported in 2015
Construction of the Kenya-Ethiopia converter substation to commence
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) has announced that the construction of a US$ 230m high voltage direct current Kenya-Ethiopia converter substation is now set to begin. A US$ 230m contract between KETRACO and a consortium of Siemens AG and Isolux Inginieria for the construction of the substation has already been signed.
The project which will be constructed in Suswa is intended to create power lines that will link Kenya to Ethiopia. It is being funded by the World Bank and is considered as an important interconnector between the two countries.
Ketraco acting Managing Director Fernandes Barasa confirmed the reports and said that the transmission line contractors are already mobilized and are expected to commence construction soon and will be completed in 2017.
“We want to make sure that by 2018, we have the inter-connector in place,” Mr. Barasa said during the signing ceremony upon receipt of advance payment guarantees as well as the performance guarantees, the advance payment would be paid to the contractors directly to allow the project to kickoff.
The Kenya-Ethiopia converter substation construction project will have a direct impact on the economy and shall ensure affordable access to electricity by Kenyans, industries, and the local governments due to the cheap hydro-power from Ethiopia. The interconnection will also offer alternate power supply to Kenya and Ethiopia in the dry season when hydro generation is dismal.
The project has a transmission capacity of 2,000 MW in either direction and will facilitate power trade in the East Africa Power Pool. The total length of the project is 1045 km, out of which 433km will be in Ethiopia and the remaining 612km in Kenya.
Jun 2019
Construction of longest transmission line in East and Central Africa nears completion
Construction of the longest transmission line in East and Central Africa nears completion. The line links Kenya to northern Ethiopia for regional electricity trade.
The 1,045km line interconnects at the Moyale common border and can carry 2,000 MW of electricity in either direction, the capacity being higher than Kenya’s current maximum consumption (peak demand) of about 1,900 MW.
Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line
Construction is complete on Ethiopia’s side, being shorter, while Kenya’s side is over 90% complete and is expected to go live early next year. On Kenya’s side, it’s being built by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco).
African Development Bank (AfDB), French Development Bank (AFD), World Bank, and the government of Kenya have funded the project at a cost of US $620m. It’s expected to be completed in April 2020.
The project is being developed by a consortium of contractors comprising Germany-based Siemens for the converter station, KEC International of India, Larsen and Toubro of India, and Kalpataru Power Transmission of India. China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company is overseeing the line construction.
Kenya’s first direct current (DC) line
The Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line, also known as the Eastern Electricity Highway, is Kenya’s first direct current (DC) line having 500kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC). All the other transmission and distribution lines in the country are alternating current (AC) wires.
Direct current transmission is best suited to cover long-distance electricity transportation, over 600km on land, in line with global best practices. Through this line, power will be wheeled to the South African Power Pool and this can be on both sides.
Currently, the 400kV Loiyangalani-Suswa 435km line built last year and connecting Turkana wind farm to the national grid holds the top spot in the region in terms of capacity, along with the 400kV Mombasa-Nairobi 428km line completed in 2017.
The Kenya-Ethiopia project will enable cross-border trade of reliable and affordable energy from the East African region and eventually to the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), through Tanzania.
Feb 2021
Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line construction to be completed by June
Charles Keter, Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary revealed that the Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line construction is expected to be completed by mid this year.
“The new connection will be ready for commissioning at the end of the next three months. We view this as a critical installation, with which we will venture into the power trade businesses and as a result assist in the development of the country,” said CS Keter.
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Project Overview
The Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line is 1,045 kilometers long. It interconnects at the Moyale common border and can accommodate other transport of 2,000 MW of electricity in either direction.
The project implementation is complete on Ethiopia’s side, which is the shortest, while on Kenya’s side, it is over 90% complete.
The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) is in charge of the implementation of the project while the African Development Bank (AfDB), the French Development Bank (AFD), the World Bank, and the national government of Kenya have collaboratively funded the project to the tune of US $620m.
This project is Kenya’s second cross-border grid link after Uganda which connects through the Olkaria-Lesos 132 Kilovolts (kV) line, while the Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line is Kenya’s first direct current (DC) line having 500kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) considering that all the other transmission and distribution lines in the East African country are alternating current (AC) wires.
Expectations for the project
Once operational, the Kenya-Ethiopia interconnector line will enable cross-border trade of reliable and affordable energy from the East African region and eventually to the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), through Tanzania.
The project is expected to integrate the power systems of five countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda under the Eastern African Power Pool (EAPP) Master Plan that seeks to take advantage of excess capacity within the network and facilitate the trade of electricity between member countries.
