This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
Kenya and Ethiopia are on the cusp of a major milestone in their electricity interconnection project, with the Ethiopian part of the Eastern Electricity Highway Project expected to be completed next month.
The 500kV line, built by China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET), has a capacity of carrying up to 2,000 megawatts and spans 1,055km.
According to Moges Mekonnen, communication director of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the construction of the power transmission line was completed in August 2019, and the highway is only awaiting the finalisation of the construction of a substation.
After the substation is completed, testing will be implemented within five months, and the highway will be ready for power transmission by April 2020.
The project, which has been funded by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the French Development Agency, among others, is expected to generate investment opportunities in electricity infrastructure and give rise to the development of other related industries.
Upon its completion, the project will connect the Kenyan and Ethiopian power grids, enabling the two countries to buy and sell electricity as needed.
As Tigabu Atalo, an energy practitioner, noted, "Construction of the transmission line is important, not only to sell but also to buy electric power when we face a shortage of supply."
The project is a significant step towards regional integration and interconnecting African countries through power.
Published on October 1, 2019, at 6:38 PM EAT.
