NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 1 – The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) has signed a contract with the Consortium of Grid Solution SAS to construct a new National System Control Centre (NSCC).
In a statement, KETRACO said that the 81 million Euros (Sh11.6 billion) Centre, which will be financed jointly by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and French Ministry of Finance, will be constructed in Embakasi.
Furthermore, the project will also involve the construction of a backup facility at KETRACO’s Suswa substation, which will be vital in managing asset performance and monitoring the grid.
KETRACO is assertive that the centre will be elemental for balancing electricity supply and demand, integrating various power sources, including variable renewable energy, and ensuring grid stability.
Furthermore, the power company assured that the centre will provide enhanced visibility, a better working environment, and enhanced capabilities in addition to addressing other limitations that face the current control centre.
“The new NSCC will be a game changer for our national grid,” it stated.
According to KETRACO Managing Director John Mativo, the construction of the facility will be timely, especially given the rapidly growing national grid.
Mativo noted that the centre will further enable the company to survey and control the energy dispatch to consumers across the country.
“We are building a state-of-the-art National System Control Centre in Embakasi that is essential for the efficient operation of the grid,” he stated.
“The National Grid will continue to grow in size and capacity within Kenya, three regional high voltage interconnectors connected to neighboring countries, and more and more variable renewable energy added in the energy mix making it paramount for KETRACO construct a new facility,” he added.
