12 May 2013, Nairobi — Nairobi County is set to benefit from a planned multi-billion power project aimed at strengthening and stabilising power supply around the capital.
Kenya Power Managing Director Joseph Njoroge said the Nairobi Ring Project, spearheaded by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, KETRACO, involves construction of a 100 kilometre, 400 kV double circuit line from Suswa substation in Nakuru County to Isinya substation in Kajiado County.
While speaking during a substation commissioning ceremony at Komarock Estate in Nairobi, Njoroge, said; “Completion of the Sh16.9 billion power projects in 2015 will enhance quality of power supply through improved voltage levels and reduced outage incidences in the city.”
He further said that the Nairobi Ring Project will provide additional transmission capacity for transmission of power from new geothermal power plants at Olkaria in Naivasha and the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project.
The project includes construction of five high voltage substations in Suswa, Ngong, Isinya, Athi River Komarock and a three-kilometre underground cable from Dandora substation to Komarock substation.
He revealed the project is funded by the French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank and the Government of Kenya.
“The commissioned Komarock and Ruai substations in Nairobi’s Eastlands were completed under additional financing for the Energy Sector Recovery Project, ESRP, which has been in implementation since 2007 with the aim of upgrading and refurbishing the country’s distribution system,” he said.
Njoroge also said the two facilities are among five new substations with two transformers of 23 MVA (MegaVolt Amperes) capacity each, implemented under one ESRP contract financed by World Bank’s International Development Agency (IDA) at a cost of Sh2.1 billion. The others include Ridgeways, Langata and Ngong Town.
“Since the commencement of the programme in 2007 we have completed a total of 45 projects in different parts of the country; 17 of them in Nairobi Region. The projects include construction of new substations, power lines, re-conductoring of existing lines, refurbishment of old substations and installation of a new power automation system,” he said.
*Joseph Muraya
