Ethio-Kenya Power interconnection to power 1 million households

Households in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia will have better access to electricity through the construction of the Kenya-Ethiopia electricity interconnection line, Ecofin news agency reported.

The interconnection will be ensured by a 1068-km, 500-kilovolt high-voltage direct current transmission line, with 437 km in Ethiopia and 631 km in Kenya with related facilities at Wolayta-Sodo (Ethiopia) and Suswa (Kenya).

This line is scheduled to enter its operational phase in the course of 2019, providing an uninterrupted supply of electricity for all.

By December 2020, it will have a transmission capacity of 2000 megawatts, AfDB said.

The commissioning of the interconnection with Kenya will enable Ethiopia to purchase new equipment and exploit part of its potential, according to Ecofin.

While the Ethiopian Government is aiming to reach a hydroelectric capacity of 17,000 MW by 2020, thanks to the interconnection project, it could achieve a capacity of 40,000 MW by 2025, using the waters of the Nile.

Currently, Ethiopia exports 100 MW, 80 MW and 10 MW to Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya respectively.

Households in Kenya continue to struggle to have a continuous supply of electricity throughout the day.

The East African nation’s installed generation capacity is 2370 MW, while peak demand is approximately 1770 MW.