In response to the persistent issue of national blackouts, Kenya’s Energy Minister, Davis Chirchir, announced a strategic approach to combat the frequent power disruptions that have plagued the country. The move involves the consideration of localized load-shedding to address the root cause of these outages – demand surges.
The most recent country-wide blackout occurred on Sunday evening, marking the fourth incident this year. Lasting several hours, it provoked frustration among citizens already grappling with the repercussions of previous power disruptions.
Chirchir attributed the latest blackout to an overload on a transmission line in western Kenya. During a news conference, he outlined short-term solutions, including the implementation of minimal load-shedding on specific lines, such as the one responsible for Sunday’s outage.
The ill-fated transmission line, designed for an 80-megawatt capacity, was burdened with 149 megawatts when it tripped, causing a cascading failure across the entire grid. Chirchir identified the root cause as a prolonged lack of investment in the network, exacerbated by increased household connections to electricity and the establishment of new industries demanding more power.
To fortify the power grid and prevent future overloads, the government plans to construct a new transmission line in the west of the country. The financing for this project will come from South Korea and the African Development Bank, though the specific financial figure was not disclosed.
Chirchir emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing the energy crisis by not only bolstering transmission infrastructure but also investing in electricity generation to augment reserves. Public discontent was evident on social media platforms, particularly Facebook, where frustrated Kenyans voiced their concerns.
Beyond homes and businesses, the repercussions of Sunday’s blackout extended to Nairobi’s main airport, where two terminals were plunged into darkness when standby generators failed to automatically activate. As the government implements these strategic measures, Kenyans remain hopeful that these efforts will bring an end to the disheartening cycle of national blackouts.
Photo (Photo: Energy Ministry Kenya. Source: Twitter)
By: Montel Kamau
Serrari Financial Analyst
12th December, 2023
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