CS Wandayi reveals cause of nationwide power outage

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Opiyo Wandayi on Friday, September 6, 2024, released a detailed statement explaining why the country suffered a blackout, a few days after another countrywide outage.

In a lengthy statement, CS Wandayi detailed that the blackout was caused by the tripping of a high-voltage Loiyangalani transmission line at the Suswa substation while evacuating 288MW from Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) plant.

The issue at Suswa further affected the Ethiopia – Kenya 500kV DC interconnector, leading to a power outage in most parts of the country including Nyeri, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nanyuki, Nakuru, Naivasha, Thika, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega, Siaya, Busia, Vihiga, Kisumu, Bungoma and Webuye.

“The loss of 488MW, accounting for 27.3 per cent of the total generation, resulted in cascade failure and partial collapse of the grid. This affected most regions of the country except parts of Western Kenya, which was supported by supply through the interconnector to Tororo, Uganda,” the newly appointed CS explained.

Interventions

in his statement, CS Wandayi highlighted that the issue which resulted into a power outage is not new and has built up over time.

However, in a bold move, Wandayi announced plans to end Kenya Power’s monopoly by bringing onboard private partners to support the government’s intervention.

“What we are witnessing today has built up over time and is as a result of sub-optimal investment in energy infrastructure. The sector is looking into short-term and long-term interventions to address this challenge including bringing onboard private sector capital to supplement government efforts,” he emphasised.

Additionally, Wandayi announced that his ministry is pushing for the lifting of the moratorium on the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) by the National Assembly.

He also announced plans to push for the completion of pending projects and also constructing new power evacuation plants.

“Construction of alternative evacuation lines namely: Gilgil-Thika-Malaa-Konza 400kV to complete the Nairobi Ring to decongest Suswa Complex, RongaiKeringet-Chemosit to decongest Kisumu-Muhoroni-Chemosit, MenengaiOlkalao-Rumuruti to provide access to Mount Kenya region to geothermal power,” Wandayi’s statement added.

“As a ministry, we are committed to implementing these interventions to ensure security of supply and more reliable quality of service to Kenyans.”