The underground cabling project is expected to reinforce the Nairobi City Centre bulk power supply system by providing alternative supply to existing substations.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 13 – Kenya Power is implementing an underground power network project to provide a stable alternate supply to Nairobi.
The Sh13 billion project will create a redundant network around the city, improving flexibility of the existing system
Kenya Power Acting Managing Director & CEO Ken Tarus has said the project will also scale down system losses riding on the extension of the transmission line into the city.
“Initially focused on Nairobi, the underground cabling project will involve the construction of a new substation and associated lines to increase the length of the existing network and offer alternative supply points to minimize interruptions,” Tarus says.
The project involves the establishment of a new 220/66kV underground cable from Embakasi Substation to the proposed city center substation at a cost of Sh10.56 billion.
A 25-kilometer underground cable will connect the new City Centre substation to proposed Likoni Road substation, Nairobi West, Cathedral, City Square, Muthurwa and Parklands.
Tarus says the first phase of the project will provide a backup system for the western part of Nairobi, adding the utility company is implementing similar projects in Mombasa and Kisumu.
“The underground cabling technology is more aesthetic compared to overhead lines and less expensive in terms of land acquisition challenges and way leaves requirement,” says Tarus.
The project is funded by a 20 year concessional loan from China Exim Bank and is expected to be complete by end of July 2017.
