The power grids in Ethiopia and Kenya are to receive a boost with Siemens’ construction of a $450-million high-voltage direct current transmission link between the two countries. The Ethiopia-Kenya Power Systems Interconnection Project will be roughly 1,000 km long and will transmit hydroelectricity.
According to Siemens the power grid will also “improve the exchange of energy between the two countries and optimize the use of distributed energy sources in this region.”
Siemens is building the link in a consortium with construction company Isolux Corsan and the order was placed by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. (EEPCO) and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. (KETRACO). The financing for the project is being provided by the World Bank and the African Development Bank and is scheduled to go into operation by the end of 2018.
The system will have a 2,000 MW capacity that will connect the two converter stations located in Kenya and Ethiopia with a direct current +/-500-kilovolt overhead line.