Kenya Power eyes 150,000 connections in new electrification phase
Wesley Ezekiel-KNA
Kenya Power targets to connect 150,000 customers to the national grid under the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) Phase VI.
The project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) targets customers comprising households and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) spread across 45 counties except Nairobi and Mombasa.
“The Government of Kenya has received financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) towards the cost of the implementation of the sixth phase of the Last Mile Connectivity Project.
“The funding will go a long way to boost the ongoing national electrification efforts and accelerate the attainment of universal access to electricity by the year 2030,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Joseph Siror.
The Africa Development Bank has funded Phase I and III of the projects where 536,077 customers have been connected.
The CEO said that the latest phase of the LMCP will also entail system reinforcements as well as grid extensions.
“This will involve construction and refurbishment of 13 substations (construction of three 33/11 kV new substations, refurbishment and upgrade of three 33/11 kV substations and construction of seven new 33 kV switching stations,” he added.
The project will also entail the construction of 211 kilometers and 14 kilometers of kV and 11 kV distribution lines, respectively, to boost the social infrastructure to serve education, healthcare, water, and sanitation.
Additionally, 650 kilometers of 33 kV lines and 6,798 kilometers of low-voltage network will be constructed to facilitate the last mile connections.
LMCP has invited bids for project consultancy services. The consultant will undertake technical designs as well as environmental and social performance audits.
Further, they will provide support to the company through procurement and supervision of construction works.
Since the inception of the LMCP in 2015 Kenya Power has connected 746,867 customers to the national grid.
The company is currently implementing the fourth and fifth phases of the LMCP, which seek to connect an additional 280,000 and 11,000 new customers to the grid, respectively.
LMCP has also been funded by various lenders, including the Government of Kenya, the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union (EU) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).