Coast Region to benefit from Shs.8.7 billion power substations project

Coast Region will be the biggest beneficiary from the 36 new substations to be constructed in various parts of the country beginning this year as part a project to modernise the electricity system.

Kenya Power will spend a total of Shs.8.7 billion for the project that will see ten new substations constructed in Coast Region areas of Port Reitz, Bofu, Mtongwe, Kwale, Kindimu, Sabaki, Wundanyi, Kaloleni, Kokotoni and Mtodia.

This was revealed by Kenya Power Managing Director & CEO, Dr. Ben Chumo, during an annual excellence awards ceremony held in Nairobi to recognize the Company’s exemplary employees.

Dr. Chumo said the project is being implemented as part of recommendations of a recently concluded Power Distribution Master Plan to guide the Company in the implementation of various electricity refurbishment and expansion projects.

Kenya Power contracted Parsons Brinckerhoff of the United Kingdom to develop strategies that will achieve least cost power distribution system development, ensure adequate power distribution capacity in each of the 46 counties and maintain a reliable power supply at required standards among other objectives.

In a relentless effort to modernise the network, he said, Kenya Power implemented projects worth Shs.11 billion on 19 substation projects and associated lines; 27 line upgrade projects and 38 major system upgrade projects throughout the country in the last financial year.

“The main barrier to rural electrification has been the high cost of grid connections,” he said adding” I am happy to report that African Development Bank has released Shs.13 Billion for the Last Mile Connectivity project that will bring the electricity grid sufficiently close to our rural customers”.

Additionally, plans are underway to adopt a cheaper Single Wire Earthing Return (SWER) technology to further help increase connectivity in sparsely populated areas,” he added.

Commenting on power generation, Dr. Chumo said there has been a 19% growth in new generation capacity from 1754MW to 2079MW in the period November 2012 to November 2013 mainly from geothermal sources. “This has led to a reduction of 62% in the Fuel Cost Surcharge applied to customers’ bills, from Shs.9.08 per kWh in November 2011 to Shs.3.47 per kWh in November 2014,” he said.

For more information, contact:
Kenya Power Corporate Communications Dept.
Tel. 3201622/39or/47
E-mail communications@kenyapower.co.ke