Major Lake Turkana wind power line to be ready by December

[MK254]

A woman walks her child to school past high voltage electrical pylons on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi, March 14, 2011. /REUTERS

A major new power line connecting remote northern Kenya to the national grid, and which will be used to transmit wind power, should be completed by end year.

Kenya is ramping up electricity production and investing in its grid to keep up with growing demand for power and reduce frequent blackouts. It relies heavily on renewables such as geothermal and hydro power.

Private company Lake Turkana Wind is building Kenya's biggest wind power scheme at Lake Turkana.

It is expected to start producing some power in September and will start sending power to the grid once the power line is ready in December.

Construction on the 428 km, 400-kilovolt power line, which will run from Loiyangalani in northern Kenya to Suswa in the centre of the country, started in November.

It had been due to be completed by October but has been delayed by demands for compensation from landowners along the route and other issues.

Once the Lake Turkana Wind Power scheme starts operation it will initially supply up to 90 MW of electricity but will eventually have the capacity to supply 310 MW.

"The transmission line is now being accelerated," Fernandes Barasa, managing director of the state-run Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, said in an interview on Tuesday.

"Earlier it was supposed to be completed by October, but because of some delays - issues along the route - we have pushed it back by two months so that we complete it by December 2016," Barasa said.

He said some land values along the route had been inflated and the issue took longer than expected to resolve, requiring the help of the state-run National Land Commission and political leaders.

Kenya plans to add 5,000 km of power lines to its existing 3,800-km network by 2017. Only a third of the country's 44 million people are connected to the grid, according to its energy ministry.

Barasa said another power line between Kenya and Ethiopia should be completed in early 2018.

"The lines will be done by December 2017 and the substation by February 2018. So basically we expect the infrastructure to be operational by the end of February 2018," he said.

Major Lake Turkana wind power line ready by December

 

[Geza Ulole]

That thing will hav to be protected for 24 hrs a day for the whole yr around! Otherwise...

 

[Ian Cruz]

Kenya kweli na big daddy wao!!!!kila thread wananusa tu!!

 

[mwaswast]

That thing will hav to be protected for 24 hrs a day for the whole yr around! Otherwise...

Unataka kazi ya watchman?

 

[1 Africa]

Unataka kazi ya watchman?

Hhaa..... Khai.... Bwahaha.

 

[burukenge]

Unataka kazi ya watchman?

Wamegundua gesi ya ushuzi...

 

[burukenge]

A woman walks her child to school past high voltage electrical pylons on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi, March 14, 2011. /REUTERS

A major new power line connecting remote northern Kenya to the national grid, and which will be used to transmit wind power, should be completed by end year.

Kenya is ramping up electricity production and investing in its grid to keep up with growing demand for power and reduce frequent blackouts. It relies heavily on renewables such as geothermal and hydro power.

Private company Lake Turkana Wind is building Kenya's biggest wind power scheme at Lake Turkana.

It is expected to start producing some power in September and will start sending power to the grid once the power line is ready in December.

Construction on the 428 km, 400-kilovolt power line, which will run from Loiyangalani in northern Kenya to Suswa in the centre of the country, started in November.

It had been due to be completed by October but has been delayed by demands for compensation from landowners along the route and other issues.

Once the Lake Turkana Wind Power scheme starts operation it will initially supply up to 90 MW of electricity but will eventually have the capacity to supply 310 MW.

"The transmission line is now being accelerated," Fernandes Barasa, managing director of the state-run Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, said in an interview on Tuesday.

"Earlier it was supposed to be completed by October, but because of some delays - issues along the route - we have pushed it back by two months so that we complete it by December 2016," Barasa said.

He said some land values along the route had been inflated and the issue took longer than expected to resolve, requiring the help of the state-run National Land Commission and political leaders.

Kenya plans to add 5,000 km of power lines to its existing 3,800-km network by 2017. Only a third of the country's 44 million people are connected to the grid, according to its energy ministry.

Barasa said another power line between Kenya and Ethiopia should be completed in early 2018.

"The lines will be done by December 2017 and the substation by February 2018. So basically we expect the infrastructure to be operational by the end of February 2018," he said.

Major Lake Turkana wind power line ready by December

Big up jubilee.haka ni mwendo wa kasi kweli.sgr naivasha ishaanza duh.wabongo bado wanaiota sgr yao.

 

[mwaswast]

Wamegundua gesi ya ushuzi...

Naskia hio gesi inatumika na MRI kukagua Bongo zao

 

[burukenge]

Hawa nilisema hata mola awape visima vya pesa hapa watisoma namba.unless tuwakopeshe uhuru ndio awaonyeshe njia.

Mganga wa chato amechanganyikiwa kabisa.hivi story ya bomba ilikufa natural death nayo sgr hata hawawezi inusa.bagamoyo hamna duh no wonder hawa wana machungu na maendeleo yetu..

 

[collinss]

Wamegundua gesi ya ushuzi...

hahahaha.

 

[Muria]

Electricity consumption (and generation) is usually a very big indicator of economic progress in a country. Maybe an even better indicator than GDP.

 

[pingli-nywee]

Kila asubuhi bila kukosa,toka nitue Nanyuki kwa shuhgli za kibiashara naona barabarani wakisafirisha hizo sijui niziite masts za huo mradi wa 'windfarm'.Mungu ambariki rais Uhuru Kenyatta na serikali ya Jubilee,tulisema rais mstaafu Emilio Mwai Wa Kibaki alifanya kazi ifaavyo lakini kasi ya Uhuruto si mchezo.Ni maendeleo 'chap chap' aisee,heko kwao!