Kenya Power To Do Away With Planned Power Outages

A recently launched Sh2 Billion live line maintenance project will now mean the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) planned outages will be phased out.

The company has also acquired 32 trucks and crew which will help enhance the quality of electricity and improve revenue generation.

The live line maintenance will reduce workforce needed to deal with power outages by 70pc according to KPLC acting Managing Director Jared Othieno.

Every Monday KPLC has been releasing scheduled power outages and areas to cater for maintenance incurring manufacturers with massive losses. According to KPLC the scheduled power outages have reduced by over 40pc.

The project which is funded by the World Bank has seen 144 live line maintenance staffers trained on changing broken power poles, repairing broken jumpers, and connecting new customers to the grid without interrupting power supply.

Kenya Power invested Sh720 million in the first phase of the project and the technicians mainly operated on the 11kV, 33kV ad 66kV distribution lines that link homes and businesses to substations.

The parastatal’s main focus is to bring down energy losses. This is due to the fact that the company lose on efficiency each time a line is shut down for maintenance.

“We believe that improving the reliability of power supply to our customers is crucial in accelerating the development and growth of our country,” Othieno said.