Kenya has signed a power trade agreement with Ethiopia, which will see Kenya increase its electricity imports from Ethiopia.
The agreement, therefore, will enable Kenya to either import or export to Ethiopia up to 400 Megawatts of electricity. According to EPRA, Kenya will this year import 200 Megawatts from Ethiopia, which will go a long way in stabilizing electricity prices, by limiting dependence on thermal power plants.
The power trade will be made possible,and even easier, after construction of the Eastern Electricity Highway comes to an end. Standard media reports that the total length of the transmission line is 1,125km, with approximately 434 kilometers in Ethiopia and 606 kilometers in Kenya.
Furthermore, the line has the capacity to carry 2,000 megawatts of electricity in either direction, the capacity being higher than Kenya’s current maximum consumption of about 1,900 Megawatts. Once in full operation mode, the line will be the region’s first 500kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line.
Kenya first announced its intentions for electricity imports from Ethiopia in 2017. However, this has been hindered, to a large extent, by inadequate infrastructure.
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