Ethiopian Review

The review, which is expected to last 15 months, will enable Kenya to connect her national power grid with those of neighbouring states with surplus power.

East African countries are drawing up a joint plan to boost electricity supply across the region in the face of acute shortfalls sparked by poor rains.

They are aiming to create a power pool through the aggressive tapping of alternative power sources under the East African Power Master Plan (EAPP).

The proposed East African Power Master Plan (EAPP) is to be updated to include an earlier study by Kenya , Uganda and Tanzania, the original members of the East African Community (EAC).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) will finance the review to the tune of $1.2 million (Sh96 million) to update the EAC’s study of 2005.

The review, which is expected to last 15 months, will enable Kenya to connect her national power grid with those of neighbouring states with surplus power.

The plan advocates for exploitation of alternative sources to meet arising demand.

“The EAPP envisages a time frame of up to seven years to a fully-fledged regional power system, with the creation of a power pool as a central feature,” said Mr Magaga Alot, EAC’s spokesperson.

EAPP, with its secretariat in Addis Ababa, comprises Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While Tanzania and Uganda are not members of EAPP, it is understood that they have started to participate in some of the activities.

Tanzania has an excess of 350 megawatts but it cannot be distributed to other countries because there is no interconnection in the region.

A transmission line connecting southern Ethiopia and Mt Longonot will be constructed to tap 500MW of hydro power and help narrow current deficit of national power requirements.

Construction follows completion of a feasibility study by a coalition of donors to establish the viability of the project to interconnect the national grids of the two countries. The study was undertaken by German power consultants Fitchner GMBH at a cost of Euros 1.7 million (about Sh17 million).

Feasibility study

“The feasibility study for a transmission line from Ethiopia to Nairobi is ready. This is one of the interconnection projects for the Nile Basin countries,” said Ms Domina Buzingo, AfDB’s country representative in Nairobi.

- By Zeddy Sambu | BUSINESS DAILY