Kenya will be adding 310 MW to its national grid by the end of September. According to Charles Keter, Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary, a power line linking Lake Turkana Wind Power project to the national grid is expected to be connected in the next three months.
The construction and connection of the power line has been delayed by landowners’ compensation demands and other issues.
The construction of the 428-km, 400-kilovolt power line from the Lake Turkana Wind Power project, running from Loiyangalani in the north to Suswa in the central region, started in November 2015 and had been due to be completed by December.
Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems, supplier of the wind farm’s 365 turbines, said earlier this month that the wind farm was ready to go but was just waiting for the government to install the transmission line.
Keter, at a news conference, said work was under way to get all required material for local subcontractors as Spain’s Grupo Isolux Corsan, the main contractor, was having financial difficulties. "We saw the need that instead of us terminating the contract, we’d rather manage by getting the materials because the subcontractors who are working on the line are Kenyans," Keter told reporters.
"If we get the materials within the next three months, we should complete the line from Lake Turkana all the way to Suswa," he said.