Kenya purchases cheap electricity from Ethiopia to meet local power demand

Kenya Power staff at work. PHOTO/ELKANAH JACOB

NAIROBI, Kenya - The persistent drought that has lasted over the last three decades denying Kenya adequate rainfall has forced Kenya to purchase cheap electric power from Ethiopia.

According to the state-owned utility regulator -Kenya Power, their current electricity production stands at 2,200 megawatts, which is below the required demand.

Kenya Power press statement "The ongoing longest drought in 30 years is straining our local production capabilities. We are forced to employ a number of interventions to ensure things are running smoothly, including blocking access for some domestic consumers.”
The importation of electricity from Ethiopia commenced late last year.

This has enabled the country to balance supply hence avoiding the power rationing menace witnessed in the 1990s.

Last year Kenya signed a 25-year deal with the Horn of Africa nation to import electricity in a bid to edge out the expensive power from the national grid and also ensure the country meets peak demand.

Electricity supply from Ethiopia is helping us minimize load shedding or subscription of more expensive power.

Load shedding happens when a distributor switches off the power supply to a group of customers because the entire system is at risk.
Power distributors adopt load shedding to ease pressure on a primary source when demand is greater than the primary power source can supply.

Kenya signed a 25-year power purchase deal with Ethiopia to import 600 megawatts of electricity. It is expected to run to 2047, earning the landlocked nation as much as $100 million annually.

The $500 million line to Kenya has the capacity to transmit 2,000 megawatts of electricity.

According to Kenya Power, at least 75-100MW received from Ethiopia has greatly helped to iron out volatilities.

Ethiopia is planning to construct a $5 billion dam which is expected to generate 5,150 megawatts of electricity once completed in 2024.

GAROWE ONLINE