The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) has completed the Grid Restoration Project on the Loiyangalani–Suswa 400 kilovolt Double Circuit Transmission Line with a good result. The power line is a critical import line connecting the Lake Turkana Wind Power plant to the national grid.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, who commissioned the restored line, among other things, said that the project turns the page in the energy security of Kenya. He indicated that the line would now be able to evacuate wind energy of up to 300 megawatts, on top of which the stability and reliability of the country’s electricity supply will be considerably enhanced.
2024 was a year when Kenya’s fragile grid system came under the spotlight after it went through a number of blackout episodes that affected the entire country. The power cut was caused due to the collapse of transmission towers along the Loiyangalani–Suswa line near Longonot, local investigations reported. The breakdown enabled KETRACO to install bypass structures temporarily, leading to more frequent interruptions and raising concerns about security of supply.
The restoration project was worth KSh 46.1 million and was done through the design, supply, and erection of six new towers as well as conductor stringing and installation of Optical Ground Wire.
The contract for the works was signed between M/s Elemech Engineering Limited and the client in November 2024. On behalf of the commissioning, CS Wandayi pointed out that the line will now be an advantage for the industrialists having investors kept in a state of alert as far as electricity supply reliability is concerned and to the government in the realization of her plan of the getting industrialization fastly taking off.
KETRACO Acting Managing Director, Eng. Kipkemoi Kibias, spoke about the restoration of both circuit as reclamation of the N-1 contingency, that is the safety buffer which allows the grid to survive an unexpected fault without causing widespread outages, thus of great importance to the reliability of the power system.
He told the press that the said undertaking was part of moves to ensure the safety of the transmission infrastructure and to elevate Kenya as a regional leader in the exploitation of renewable energy.
