Kenya to link up with Tanzania

The Government is holding talks with The Netherlands to the finance a multi-billion shilling project connecting power generation plants in Kenya and Tanzania.
A source at the Ministry of Energy said that the European country had shown interest in funding the power project that is expected to be up and running by 2008. The exact cost of the project could not be immediately established.

The power interconnection project between the two countries is part of the East African Power Masterplan Study that involves the construction of a 330 kV transmission line between Arusha and Nairobi.
"We have already completed the study, and what we are now waiting for is for the donor to step in. Although at the moment, the Dutch Government has shown great interest in funding the three-year power project," said the source.

Energy minister, Simeon Nyachae, said that plans to integrate the three East African Power Grids (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) are at an advanced stage in line with the ultimate objective of East African political integration. The minister said that the demand for electricity in Kenya is high, and increasing annually, and that the Government intends to increase the power capacity by at least 150 MW annually for the next three years.
He said that active power trading with Tanzania is expected to begin in 2009 -- if the plan to interconnect the two countries proceeds successfully.

"The peak demand for electricity in Kenya is projected to rise to 1,370 MW by July 2008 outstripping the current effective generating capacity of 1,032 MW under normal rainfall conditions," said Mr Nyachae.
The source said that Tanzania's power generation capacity has of late increased tremendously, and that the interconnection of their power with Kenya was expected to boost the country's current over-stretched electricity limits.