AfrElec: Kenya set to double Ethiopia electricity imports two years ahead of schedule

Kenya expects to double its electricity supply from Ethiopia as of 2025, two years earlier than planned, partially bypassing more expensive domestic producers, The Africa Report writes.

In July 2022, Kenya signed an initial 25-year electricity supply agreement with Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP) for 200 MW, aiming to up it to 400 MW in 2027.

But an early agreement for a second tranche of power import follows a successful negotiation with Ethiopia involving Kenya Power and Lighting Co. (KPLC) and officials from the Ministry of Energy, where Kenya is expected to continue taking advantage of the $0.065 per unit rate.

The present contract provides for a gradual increase in the electricity from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for the remainder of the contract with supplies coming via the Ethiopia-Kenya Transmission Interconnection Line, a 1,045-km-long power highway capable of transmitting up to 2,000 MW.

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