Reliable and adequate power is expected to drastically improve in the lower Eastern region, following the energization of the 132kV Wote – Sultan Hamud transmission line and 132/33kV Wote substation constructed by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) on 17th January 2018.
This line section is part of the greater 153km 132kV Mwingi - Kitui - Wote - Sultan Hamud transmission line. The line has four, 132/33kV substations at Kitui, Wote, Sultan Hamud, and Mwingi. So far, Mwingi, Sultan Hamud and Wote substations have been energized.
Wote substation is strategic to the lower eastern region, which has had no direct transmission line forcing the region to depend on a long medium voltage distribution feeder from Kiboko substation.
The medium voltage line was susceptible to faults that resulted in frequent and long durations of power outages in the area. The transmission line is expected to have 99.9% reliability and availability. The substation will be supplied from two alternative sources of power; Juja and Rabai.
This is projected to be a catalyst towards transformation of the area into an attractive location for agro-based and general industries thus going a long way into supporting both the National government, Big 4 Agenda and the County government’s development plans.
“The energization of the Wote – Sultan Hamud transmission line and Wote substation means increased electricity access and reliable supply within Makueni county and other surrounding areas. This will spur new economic development in Makueni County and ensure that existing industries run smoothly without interruption, for example the Kalamba Fruit Processing Plant, the Kikima Dairy Milk plant and also the newly constructed Makueni Mother and Child hospital,” stated FCPA Fernandes Barasa, OGW, MD KETRACO.
With the full completion of the Mwingi - Kitui - Wote - Sultan Hamud transmission line, the region will be supplied with clean energy from Kindaruma hydropower plant and Garissa solar power plant through the Kindaruma – Mwingi – Garissa transmission line. Makueni County will also receive power from the Olkaria geothermal power plants through Juja substation. This will lead to redundancy in supply, which means that during the periods when one line is switched off for maintenance, the other line will provide alternative supply paths resulting in uninterrupted power for the area.
This line is part of the Kenya Power Transmission System Improvement Programme (KPTSIP) financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Kenya (GoK) at a total cost of Kshs. 8.1 billion.