New power line to be built from Ethiopia to Kenya

Nov 13, 2006 By John Oyuke The East African Standard

Work on the proposed Sh72 billion high-voltage power transmission line from Ethiopia to Kenya is set to commence next month.

Kenya Electricity Generating company has disclosed that the implementation schedule for the project has already been set up, with its commissioning now earmarked for October 2014.

Some of the proposed financiers of the project are African Development Bank, Arab Bank, European Investment Bank, East African Development Bank and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).

KenGen, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), Kenya Power and Lighting and the Ministry of Energy officials met in Addis Ababa on September 19 to 21 for a follow-up meeting on an earlier Memorandum of Understanding.

Speaking during the MOU signing ceremony in Nairobi mid this year, acting Energy Minister Mr Henry Obwocha said that the interconnection of national grids of the two countries would result in reduction of power prices.

KenGen said in its current news bulletin that the project would commence next month. Staff from the two utilities would undergo an exchange programme in hydropower development, operations, and geothermal and environmental management.