Turkwel-Ortum-Kitale electricity transmission line is set to provide reliable power supply to residents of West Pokot, Trans Nzoia counties and their environs upon completion.
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (Ketraco) Project Engineer Samson Akuto confirmed the report and said the power line will provide an alternative transmission evacuation route for the Turkwel Power plant that has a capacity of generating 106MW.
The project is also set to provide efficient power supply to the proposed cement factory at Ortum and improve power quality and reliability at Kitale, Ortum and their environs. With the completion of the 138kms line, more power dependent activities will be unveiled in West Pokot, Trans Nzoia and some parts of Uasin Gishu County since residents have been complaining of incessant power fluctuations due to the long distances that lead to power losses.
Power outages
โIncessant power outages experienced in the region shall be a thing of the past since the current supply in the region is drawn from Lessos Sub Station in Uasin Gishu County. In the Western parts of Kenya starting from Nakuru, there are only two power stations that are Turkwel and Sondu Miriu which means there is a lot of power loss due to the long transmission distances,โ said Engย Samson.
Mr Akuto affirmed that once procurement of a new contractor is finalised, it would take about 8 months for the project to be fully completed. The transmission line whose construction started in March 2014 was completed in March last year
โCheck survey, foundation, tower erection and stringing are 100% complete for the Turkwel-Ortum-Kitale transmission line. For the substations, engineering is too 100% complete but for procurement, installations are at 80.5 and 72.2% respectively,โ said Akuto.
