Kenya Power announced on Thursday, March 28, that Kenya has joined a select group of African countries by establishing a backup National Control Centre to mitigate recurrent blackouts.
In a press release, Kenya Power disclosed that the system, valued at Ksh50 million, will be situated in the Coastal area and will serve as a contingency measure to regulate power distribution nationwide. The backup control centre will act as an alternative dispatch point in case the primary national control centre experiences failures. Funding for this initiative was provided as a grant by GIZ under the Power System Readiness for Integration of Variable Renewable Energies (VRE) project, a collaboration between GIZ and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
The Centre will function as a hub for distributing electricity from various sources to consumers. It is equipped with advanced technology to ensure fair and efficient electricity distribution based on factors such as cost and demand.
This development positions Kenya as a regional leader, as no other country in the East Africa Community currently operates a backup national control centre, a practice mandated by most Grid Codes worldwide. Notable African nations with similar facilities include South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Egypt.
Joseph Siror, CEO of Kenya Power, emphasized the necessity of the backup centre amidst the country’s expanding grid and growing customer base. He also announced plans for constructing new transmission lines to establish alternative supply points, aimed at minimizing power disruptions for customers.
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