Kenya and Tanzania to launch cross-border electricity transmission line
This collaboration positions Tanzania as Kenya's third electricity trade partner after Ethiopia and Uganda.
Kenya and Tanzania will inaugurate cross-border electricity trade next Wednesday, marking a milestone in regional energy cooperation.
The $309.26 million (Sh39.97 billion) transmission line, connecting the two nations, will officially go live on December 11, 2024, according to the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) Managing Director John Mativo.
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This collaboration positions Tanzania as Kenya's third electricity trade partner after Ethiopia and Uganda, enhancing efforts to mitigate power shortages and blackouts in both countries.
The new interconnection enables the nations to exchange surplus power and address generation shortfalls.
"This is a game changer for both countries. We can now sell excess electricity and buy it when we face shortfalls. We pray nothing changes before the switch-on," Mativo told the Business Daily.
The line integrates with the Ethiopia-Kenya transmission system through the Isinya-Suswa 400kV line, forming a critical segment of the Eastern Africa Electricity Highway.
The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) initiative, which involves 13 countries, designed the highway to facilitate regional electricity trade with a transfer capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW).
Kenya, struggling to meet peak-hour demand, has already benefitted from increased power imports from Uganda and Ethiopia, with electricity imports jumping 76.7 per cent in the nine months to September 2024.
Meanwhile, Tanzania has enhanced its generation capacity with the 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant, which currently supplies 940MW to its grid.
Ethiopia plans to export 100MW to Tanzania via Kenya, further demonstrating the system's regional significance.
"This interconnector strengthens not only our bilateral ties but also our position in the regional energy trade," said Mativo.
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