Ruto, Ethiopia PM tour power station in Suswa

President William Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali conducted an inspection tour of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) converter Suswa sub-station in Narok County on Wednesday.

Suswa sub-station serves as a vital power hub facilitating cross-border transfer of electricity between Kenya and Ethiopia, making it the largest switchyard in the region. The project encompasses a bipolar 500 kV HVDC line with a power transfer capacity of 2000MW, stretching approximately 1045 Km from Wolayita Sodo in Ethiopia to Suswa in Kenya, with 433 Km in Ethiopia and 612km in Kenya.

This project, jointly undertaken by Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) and Ethiopia Electric Power Company (EEP), was financed by various agencies through grants and loans amounting to Sh75,281,650,000.

Significant contributions were made by the World Bank, African Development Bank, Agence Francaise de Development, and the Government of Kenya.

The primary objectives of the project include enhancing the integration of the electricity markets of the East African Power Pool, ensuring reliable and affordable energy supply from a regional base, and providing revenue to Ethiopia through electricity export to Kenya and neighboring countries.

Additionally, the su-bstation will facilitate cross-border power transfer with Tanzania through the Isinya sub-station.

Since its completion in January 2022, the project has yielded numerous benefits, including increased power supply volume at lower tariffs.