Execution of Agreement on "The Project for Capacity Development of Power Transmission Systems in Kenya"
with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
- A three years of technical assistance project in relation to the rising power demand in the Republic of Kenya -

Tokyo Electric Power Services Co., Ltd. (TEPSCO) and Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co., Inc. (Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution) have formed a consortium and concluded an agreement today with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (hereinafter referred to as "JICA") on the 'The Project for Capacity Development of Power Transmission Systems in the Republic of Kenya (hereafter "Kenya")'. The project is intended to improve the grid operations, protection and planning for the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited(hereafter "KETRACO") and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited(hereafter "KPLC").

Kenya is rapidly expanding its power generation and power grid system to fulfill its increase in power demand backgrounding its high economic growth with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 5 to 6% per year. According to the Energy plan, Kenya plans to expand its power supply capacity from the current approx. 2GW to approx. 7GW in 2030 through the development of generations including the development of renewable energies such as geothermal power, hydropower, wind power, and solar power. In the near future, Kenya aims to be the key system of the Eastern Africa Power Pool*. The Kenya power system has the potential to be a hub of the power pool system that interconnects neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda with power lines, and more electricity interchange is to be expected.

In the context of rapid expansion of the power supply and demand environment, to ensure higher supply reliability it is necessary to improve skills related to grid planning, grid protection and grid operation. The power system with more renewable energy source and their unevenly distributed locations is difficult to manage, so this requires a greater ability to control the system.

TEPSCO has skills and experiences in power system engineering inside and outside Japan, and has provided consulting services relating to international power systems in African countries such as Uganda, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, and Malawi.

Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution has accumulated various experience of power facility planning, design and operation in Kyushu area, the southern part of Japan. In recent years, Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution has realized a stable supply even with the increasing introduction of renewable energy in the grid using advanced operation technologies.

Both companies are eager to contribute to Kenya through this three year technical support project using our abundant experience and knowledge to improve the technical capabilities of grid system operation, protection and planning in Kenya, which will lead to the great improvement and expansion of interconnections with neighboring countries.

* Eastern Africa Power Pool : The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) was established in 2005 with the signing by seven Eastern Africa countries, namely: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan. After the signing, EAPP was adopted as a specialized institution to foster power system interconnectivity by the heads of states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region in 2006. Tanzania, Libya, Uganda and Djibouti have joined EAPP in March 2010, February 2011 and December 2012 respectively. Currently, 11 countries belong to it. The EAPP is expected to bring the member countries benefits by their access to adjustment power.

[Attachiment]

The Outline of the Project"    (272KB)