Ol Kalau, 5th October 2015: An agreement mediated by the leadership of Nyandarua County for work to proceed has been reached between Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (KETRACO) and landowners affected by the Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission project. The 400kV transmission project that is expected to evacuate 310MW from Lake Turkana Wind project had faced resistance from local landowners who sought the intervention of their leaders to resolve land issues with the implementing agency on the 90km stretch through Nyandarua County.
The double circuit 428km line that traverses Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia, Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties will evacuate wind generated power from the L. Turkana Wind Farm in Loiyangalani. The wind farm, expected to inject 310 megawatts of sustainable clean energy, is a private sector flagship project of Vision 2030 and was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in July 2015. About 2600 landowners are expected to get compensation for crops, sructures and limited loss of use of a 60 metre wide wayleave that the line will need.
In a meeting attended by KETRACO Management led by Ag. MD, FCPA Fernandes Barasa and project affected person’s representatives drawn from 15 locatons, local leaders including Hon. Eng. Muriuki Karue, Senator, Nyandarua County, Hon. Francis Waweru MP, Ndaragwa Constituency, Hon. K. K. Kinyanjui MP, Kinangop Constituency, Hon. David Kiaraho MP, Ol Kalou, Constituency, Hon Samuel Gichigi MP, Kipipiri, Constituency and Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, Women Rep, Nyandarua; it was resolved that County leadership will enlist the support of the constituents to immediately allow KETRACO and the Contractor to carry out bush clearing and soil testing pending the fresh land re-valuations by joint National Land Commission and community-appointed independent valuers.
Speaking at the meeting FCPA Barasa said that “with 600 landowners in Nyandarua supporting the project KETRACO is happy that the construction will commence immediately in the area”. He thanked the local leaders for supporting the project and intervening in clearing the misunderstandings about the impact and compensation for land.
“When the community approached me and other leaders, they had a list of 22 grievances and I am happy to note that apart from the issue of prevailing land values, all the others have either been solved or clarified to the satisfaction of the affected persons” explained Sen. Karue who was co-ordinating the five month effort.
Some of the issues that were brought forward included cases on deceased intestate landowners, un-adjudicated land, valuation of unlicensed stone quarries, compensation for fences, hedges and trees, unique cases of families adversely impacted by the wayleave, cases of persons unwilling to be relocated and requests for re-routing to avoid public institutions built over the years.
The Loiyangalani-Suswa project is one of the projects that will terminate at the Suswa 400/220kV substation, located in Kajiado County. Sitting on 200 acres in Suswa, the substation will be the connection hub of the 500kV HVDC Ethiopia Kenya Project, the 400kV Isinya- Suswa transmission line, that will facilitate the evacuation of approximately 400kV of geothermal and wind energy from Suswa substation to Nairobi Metropolitan area; an area which currently accounts for 50% of the national load demand. The reach of this line will later expand to as far as Tanzania through the Suswa-Isinya-Arusha line.
In addition the substation will also be the connection point for the existing 220kV double circuit Olkaria IV- Nairobi North, the 220kV double circuit Olkaria I- Suswa transmission line and the 220kV double circuit Olkaria II- Suswa transmission line. All these connections will result in over 2000MW being handled at the station.
The transmission project is financed by the Government of Kenya along with concessional funding from the Spanish Government and will add to the government’s investment in strengthening the national grid with a view to deliver electricity from generators to load centres, accessing parts of the country that were off-grid as well connecting to other countries in the region.
About KETRACO
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) is a 100% state-owned corporation incorporated in December 2008, under the Company’s Act Cap 486. Its mandate is to design, construct, operate and maintain new high voltage electricity transmission infrastructure. The infrastructure forms the backbone of the National Transmission Grid, to deliver 5000+MW in the next 4 years and in line with Kenya Vision 2030; with the aim of shielding electricity consumers from the higher retail tariffs.
Since 1954 when the first 220kV line between Nairobi and Jinja (Owen Falls) was constructed, only about 4000 kilometres of high voltage transmission network is in place to date. KETRACO will construct another 5000 kilometres in the next four years focusing on strengthening the existing Transmission System, penetrating into new generation & load distribution areas and enhancing Regional Inter-connections with Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
For more information contact:
Raphael Mworia
Manager Corporate Communications
KETRACO
0702-949951/020-4956750