Kenya to finally complete 428 km Loiyangalani – Suswa transmission line by June two years behind schedule

The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company KETRACO has announced it plans to complete the delayed Loiyangalani – Suswa transmission line by June this year.

The line which is two years behind schedule is supposed to evacuate power from the 310 Lake Turkana wind power project.

KETRACO says the 428 km 400 kilovolt line is more than 70 percent complete and the contractors are working hard to complete the remaining section.

A statement from the contractor working on the project, Burhani Engineers says the project will be handed over to KETRACO by April this year for testing before commissioning in June.

Burhani says the erection of 182 transmission towers which are critical for the laying of the 400kilovolts line is ongoing.

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Construction of the power line started in November 2015 five years behind schedule with completion timelines changing severally.

The 428 kilometers Loiyangalani, Suswa power line has been beset by technical and financial challenges ranging from compensation row with land owners to disagreements with the main contractor.

The main contractor Grupo Isolux Corsan of Spain filed for bankruptcy early last year, dealing the project a major blow.

On completion, the 428 km 400 kilovolt transmission will transport the green power generated by the the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project to the national grid at Suswa (near Longonot), via Baragoi, South Horr, Marti, Morijo, Longewan, Rumuruti and Olkalau.

Wind power provides about 25 MW of electricity in Kenya, which depends heavily on geothermal and hydro power, providing the bulk of the country’s total output of 2,341 MW.