Ketraco new sub-stations to cut Nairobi’s power blackouts

By MUGAMBI MUTEGI

Posted  Sunday, February 19  2012 at  20:18

Power blackouts in Nairobi are set to reduce as Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) moves to construct four sub-stations to ease pressure on the Dandora site.

Increased demand for electricity in Nairobi coupled with ageing power infrastructure including substations and transmission lines has led to increased supply interruptions.

This has led to reduced productivity and increased cost of doing business as companies seek alternatives such as fuel generators to maintain their operations.

Ketraco has kicked off a Sh22.5 billion expansion plan that will start with the construction of four substations in Athi River, Isinya, Ngong, and Komarock to help connect the city with power generators in Rift Valley, Central Kenya and Uganda.
These new sub-stations will serve as alternatives to the Dandora substation—which receives power from generation stations for onward transmission to smaller substations before connecting homes and industries to the electricity grids.

“The heavy reliance on the Dandora facility is not only a huge risk to power supply in Nairobi but it has also become increasingly impossible to access due to settlements coming up,” said Joel Kiilu, chief executive of Ketraco.

“Having several other sources of incoming power will improve the flexibility of power transmission where if one source has a fault, power can be tapped from another line.” 

Power blackouts in and around Nairobi – which accounts for half of Kenya’s power sales—has on the increase as rising demand for electricity put pressure on the city’s ageing power infrastructure.

Nairobi accounts for about half of Kenya’s total electricity sales, according to reports in Kenya Power annual report—underlining the significance of Nairobi’s economic output on Kenya’s growth.

It recorded sales of Sh24.1 billion in the year to June, which is 55 per cent of Kenya Power’s total electricity sales of Sh43.8 billion.

This has made it critical for the power chiefs to build new substations and high voltage lines to allow Nairobi reap from the additional upcoming power plants that will help meet the new electricity demand.

Ketraco is planning to build another substation in Suswa to receive power from Olkaria geothermal wells, wind energy from Lake Turkana and electricity imports from Ethiopia—which are expected to inject 1000 megawatts to the national grid.

“Suswa and the Isinya substations will be complete in 18 months time, coinciding with the Olkaria project expected to be completed next year,” said Mr Kiilu, adding that the towers for the Isinya line were already being erected.

Courtesy of www.businessdailyafrica.com