Ethio-Kenya Transmission Line Project
Last month Ethiopian Electric Power signed a contract agreement with China Electric Power Equipment as well as Technology Ltd to form the Ethio-Kenya transmission line project. This came after talks that started in 2006 between Ethiopia and Kenya to interconnect the power systems of Ethiopia and Kenya.
Financing of the Ethio-Kenya Transmission Line Project
The African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya will finance the project; with French Development Agency having expressed interest to finance the project as well.
According to the AdDB the financing for the project breaks down as follows:
- African Development Bank, US $338 million
- World Bank US $684 million
- Government of Ethiopia, US $32 million
- Government of Kenya, US $88 million
- Expected financing from the French Development Agency, US $118 million
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Interesting Facts about Ethio-Kenya Transmission Line Project
- Ethiopia is endowed with a huge hydro generation potential which is estimated at approximately 45,000 MW.
- The project involves the construction of transmission lines of about 437 km in Ethiopia and about 631 km in Kenya
- The transmission line would cover 433 km stretch from Wolayita Sodo in Ethiopia to the Kenya border and will be finalized in 26 months, CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Power Engineer Azeb Asnake said.
- She added that the Ethio-Kenya power system inter-connector with its bi-directional transfer capacity of 2000 megawatt is acknowledged and recognized to be the Eastern Electricity Highway.
- The project is expected to be completed in less than five years.
Ethio-Kenya Transmission Line Project East Africa Bolstering relations
The success of the Ethio-Kenya Transmission Line Project would also be of interest to other African countries, especially in the East African Regions, such as:
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- Rwanda
According to CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Power Engineer, Azeb Asnake, this could bolster their confidence and assure obtaining of green, sustainable and cheaper electrical energy for their development endeavours.
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The resources from this Project is expected be instrumental in acting as a major highway for the southern countries such as Tanzania. [Source]
Download the Ethiopia Kenya Power Systems Interconnection Project details