Kenya Plans $1.2 Billion Power Supply Upgrade as Outages Worsen

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Kenya has seen a spate of power outages following the start of the heavy rainfall season three weeks ago. Conditions have only worsened with intensely high winds.

"Lightning strikes on our overhead networks have led to the destruction of transformers, as well as underground cables, resulting in prolonged power interruption in various part of the country," said Joseph Njoroge, the managing director of Kenya Power, in the capital city Nairobi.

Kenya Power, the country's sole electricity distributor, is planning to spend more than $1.2 billion over the next five years to boost electricity supply. Njoroge said that funding for the program will come from a range of financial institutions, including the World Bank.

Upgrading the system will be a capital-intensive undertaking. Kenya Power is hoping to spread costs over a long period to ensure that power is cheap in Kenya.

Part of the medium-term investment will be used to automate the supply transmission system in order to isolate faulty sections and connect users to alternate lines. Converting overhead lines to an underground network in a 10-kilometer radius in Nairobi will cost $238 million, Njoroge said.

"The impact of power outage is five times more to the economy compared to Kenya Power's revenue loss," said Benson Mureithi, Kenya Power's chief manager in charge of distribution. In order to mitigate the negative impacts caused by lack of power, the company will fast-track efforts to increase the speed of breakdown resolution."

Mureithi said that other improvements in the pipeline include conversion of the current electricity lines into a smart grid, adding that only 33% of the country's population has access to electricity.

For related information, see July 5, 2012, article - Kenya Targets 50% Electricity Access by 2020.

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