The Norwegian government has offered a grant of USD 3.4 million for the interconnection of a power line connecting Kenya and Tanzania. An agreement between the Norwegian government and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) which is undertaking the project was signed on December the 2nd 2009 and commencement of the project is set for May 2010. The proposed power line interconnection for the two East African nations will begin from Isinya, 40km south of Nairobi at a 400Kv substation all the way to Singida in Tanzania where a 40 Kv substation is planned.
The agreement which was signed by NBI executive director Ms. Henriette Ndombe and the Norwegian ambassador to Tanzania Mr. Jon Lomøy will enable Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), an arm of the NBI to carry out feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessment, resettlement action plan, preparation of tender documents and detailed design for a transmission line to interconnect Kenya and Tanzania.
With the interconnection line in place, it is envisaged that a power market exchange will be created and that this will ultimately lead to low cost of power supply.
In addition, systems’ stability, security of supply and optimization in the use of energy resources will be achieved. Also many people’s livelihoods along the transmission line will be improved through the rural electrification programme which as stated in the agreement is a component of the project.
The Kenya-Tanzania interconnection of the transmission line will expand by 2014 to create a network of interconnections between Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The network of power transmission lines will according to NELSAP create a power pool and a ring around Lake Victoria.
The Kenya –Tanzania transmission line is important in that it will also be the point of connection to the South African Power Pool (SAPP) through the Zambia –Tanzania to the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP) through Ethiopia-Kenya interconnection.
The proposed study by NELSAP under the agreement will be done in two stages, in a period of 15 months comprising of; feasibility study, detailed design and tender documents for stage one and Environmental and social Impact Assessment and Resettlement action Plan slated for stage two.
NELSAP which consists of Burundi, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda while Ethiopia is an observer promotes investments in power development, power transmission interconnection and power trade, water resources management, management of lakes and fisheries, agricultural development and control of water hyacinth.
Currently it is estimated that 22 per cent of Kenyan population is connected to electricity. The low percentage can be explained by the slow pace of the rural electrification programme and also the high power tariffs that the majority of the poor cannot afford to pay.