The candidates undertaking the Africa Project Finance Program were taken through a tour of the Suswa’s 550Kv High Voltage Direct Current substation project that is being constructed and managed by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO).
KETRACO is a state-owned corporation registered under the companies Act whose mandate is to plan, design, construct, own, operate and maintain the high voltage electricity transmission grid and regional power interconnectors that form the backbone of the National Transmission Grid.
The project is part of the 1,045Km 550Kv Kenya- Ethiopia interconnection project with a power transfer capacity of 2,000MW. The line, with 612Km in Kenya originates from Welayta Sodo in Ethiopia and terminates in Suswa in Kenya.
Through the tour, the candidates were able to appreciate the mechanics and dynamics of implementing large transmission line projects and through the interaction with the KETRACO team, they were able to appreciate the challenges facing the implementation of the project and how the team has managed to address them.
The visit was followed by an internal discussion on the project whose conclusions were submitted to KETRACO.
