Kenya to Double Electricity Imports to Meet Rising Demand

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🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) announced the planned increase as technical teams from both countries conduct tests and assessments before the higher volumes are introduced.

“Ethiopia plans to double power exports to Kenya from 200 MW to 400 MW, with added supply expected from December,” EEP wrote in a notice on September 16.

The additional 200MW will raise the amount of electricity available to Kenya from Ethiopia at a time when the country is seeking greater supply flexibility to meet periods of high demand.

📌 What You Need to Know

The arrangement is also expected to reduce Kenya’s reliance on thermal generation during peak periods, an often more expensive source of electricity.

Kenya and Ethiopia already have a 25-year power purchase agreement that began in 2022, with electricity transmitted through the 1,045-kilometre Ethiopia-Kenya High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnector.

Under the new arrangement, Kenya would be able to draw up to 400MW during periods of high demand, while imports would fall to 150MW when demand is lower.

Ethiopia’s announcement comes about a year after President William Ruto indicated that Kenya was considering expanding its electricity purchases from Ethiopia and securing additional power from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

EEP said the increase will only proceed after the joint technical committee completes the necessary grid tests and confirms that the interconnected systems can operate reliably at the higher level.

Despite the expected increase in supply, experts recently warned that high financing costs, power purchase agreements, transmission and distribution expenses, and grid losses could keep electricity prices elevated as Kenya seeks to expand generation capacity from 1,500MW to 5,500MW.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke

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