Lake Turkana wind farm in Kenya

Advising on a 400 kV Kenyan transmission line connecting one of Africa’s largest wind farms to the national grid.

Client

DNV was selected to advise on the transmission line by Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO). This government-owned organisation was established to develop new high voltage electricity transmission infrastructure, in line with the country’s development programme: Kenya Vision 2030.

Project description

Wind power generated at the Lake Turkana Wind Power plant will be fed into national grid at Suswa. DNV demonstrated its commitment to modernising and developing power in Africa by advising on the construction of a 420 kV overhead transmission line and substations. The 426 km alternating current (AC) line runs from the national grid at Suswa (80km Northwest of Nairobi) to Loiyangalani (Southeast of Lake Turkana).

The line is designed to strengthen the Kenyan grid and build a connection between the capital Nairobi, and one of the largest wind farms in Africa. It supports the government initiative to harness the country’s rich renewable resources to boost the economy and respond to consumption needs in the capital. Without transmission lines such as this, the future development of reliable wind and geothermal sources would be limited, and Kenya forced to rely on more expensive fossil fuels serving power plants in the coastal region.

Services provided by DNV

We provide KETRACO with in-depth technical expertise and critical insights. In addition, we developed the specification for the project, are supervising construction work and providing training on asset management. We will continue to support the project throughout the operational phase up to financial close.
The project also involves advice on the construction of a power transmission substation at the Loiyangalani project site and a terminal substation at Suswa. The Suswa substation will also be connected to the Olkaria geothermal generation power stations, and substation in Nairobi North, Ngong and Isinya. The development is currently in its early stages.