Sodo–Moyale–Suswa High Voltage Power Line (or Ethiopia–Kenya HVDC Interconnector) is a 500
kV bipolar
high-voltage direct current
A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system (also called a power superhighway or an electrical superhighway) uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating curren ...
electricity power transmission line, under construction, connecting the Wolayta
converter station () near
Sodo
Sodo ( am, ሶዶ) or Wolaita Sodo ( am, ወላይታ ሶዶ) or ( Wolaytatto: ''Wolayta Sodo Ambbaa'') is a city in south-central Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Wolaita Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation be ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
with the Suswa converter station () near
Suswa,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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.
Location
The power line starts at Sodo (Wolayta-Sodo), in
Wolaita Zone
Wolayita or Wolaita is an administrative zone in Ethiopia. It is named for the Welayta people, whose homeland is in the zone. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa, on the west by the Omo River which separates it from Dawro, on the n ...
,
, about , by road, south-west of
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. From Sodo, the power line runs in a south-easterly direction for approximately , as the crow flies, to
Moyale, at the international border with Kenya.
From Moyale, the power line follows a south-westerly course to end near
Suswa, in
Kajiado County
Kajiado County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. As of 2019, Kajiado county spanned an area of 21,292.7 km2, with a recorded population of 1,117,840. The county borders Nairobi and to its south it borders the Tanza ...
, approximately away, as the crow flies.
The power line measures about , of which, approximately , is in Kenya.
Overview
This power line serves one major purpose. It will enable Ethiopia to transfer surplus electricity to Kenya, for sale to the countries of the
East African Community
The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...
and the
Great Lakes Region
The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian– American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian ...
. The power generated in Ethiopia is less expensive than that generated in Kenya, and the new energy purchases are expected to lower the general power tariffs in Kenya and promote industrial growth in the country.
The entire power line in both countries is budgeted at KSh126 billion (approximately US$1.26 billion). Funding was sourced from the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inter ...
and the
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies in ...
, the principal financier.
Completion is expected in June 2019.
In August 2018,
The EastAfrican
''The EastAfrican'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national ''Daily Nation''. The ''EastAfrican'' is circulated in Kenya and the other countries of the African Great Lakes
T ...
reported that at that time, 75 percent of the work in Kenya was complete, while simultaneously, 90 percent of the work in Ethiopia was complete, with commissioning expected in 2019.
Construction in Ethiopia
The contractor for the , inside Ethiopia is ''China Electric Power Equipment and Technology'' (CET). CET is also responsible for cross-border cabling and a section in Kenya, near a place called Logologo. A new 500kV substation in Sodo is included in the scope of work.
In September 2019, it was reported that CET had completed construction of the Ethiopian section of this power line.
Construction in Kenya
KEC International Limited (KEC), an
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
n company, is contracted to build the section from Elboro to Logologo, both in
Marsabit County
Marsabit County is a county in Kenya. Covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest county in Kenya. Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town Moyale. According to the 2019 census, the county has a po ...
.
Larsen and Toubro Limited is responsible for building the section from Logologo to Kinamba in
Laikipia County
Laikipia County is one of the 47 Counties of Kenya, located on the Equator in the former Rift Valley Province of the Country. Laikipia is a cosmopolitan County and is Listed as County number 31. The county has two major urban centres: Nanyuki ...
, measuring .
The Kinamba to Suswa section is contracted to Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited, and it measures about . A new 500kV substation is included in the scope of work.
See also
*
Energy in Ethiopia
*
Energy in Kenya
*
Loiyangalani-Suswa High Voltage Power Line
References
External links
CIGRÉ South Africa 2015 conference paper:
* Paulo Edmundo da Fonseca Freire et al. (2015)
"HVDC link Kenya–Ethiopia – Ground Electrodes Site Selection"
Ethiopia–Kenya Power Systems Interconnection Project documents (including details, maps, etc.):
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Summary, August 2011Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) Final Report – Ethiopia section, January 2012Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) Final Report – Kenya section, February 2012Project Appraisal Report, September 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sodo-Moyale-Suswa High Voltage Power Line
HVDC transmission lines
Proposed energy infrastructure in Africa
High-voltage transmission lines in Ethiopia
High-voltage transmission lines in Kenya
Ethiopia–Kenya relations