Posted on :Monday , 14th August 2023

• Kenya and Tanzania to establish a $309 million electrical transmission line for importing and exporting electricity.  

• The transmission line will have a transfer capacity of 2,000 megawatts, enabling the two countries to share excess power.  

• The completion of the Kenya-Tanzania connection will also facilitate the exchange of power between electrical pools in East and Southern Africa, promoting regional energy cooperation.

Before the end of the year, Kenya will be able to import and export electricity to Tanzania, its neighbour, via a Ksh43 billion ($309.26 million) electrical transmission line.

“The 400 kv (kilovolt) line is finished and we should commission the line before the end of the year and this will allow the 2 countries to share the excess power,” Energy Cabinet Secretary said on 20th June.

“Between now and September, we are installing meters since stringing is already over along the Isinya-Namanga section that had been delayed over wayleave compensation,” Cabinet Secretary added.

Tanzania announced its intentions to export electricity to Kenya for the 1st time in 2016 and planned to send the 1st shipments to Nairobi by 2018. However, as part of a 25-year agreement that began in November of last year, Ethiopia is presently Kenya's primary supplier of imported electricity.

In the 3 months leading up to March, Kenya exported 218.29 million kilowatt hours (kWh), and Uganda exported 69.31 million kWh. Tanzanian units were not imported into Kenya during that time.

The Kenya-Tanzania connection will also connect the electrical pools in East and Southern Africa, allowing for the exchange of power between the 2 areas in an effort to increase supply.