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High voltage power transmission line a boost for South Nyanza businesses

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The new high-voltage power line will run parallel to the old line, providing redundancy in power supply and less downtime. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Businesses in South Nyanza are set to get a boost following the switching on of an alternative transmission line with a higher a capacity expected to reduce blackouts.

Homes and businesses such as Sony Sugar are set to get more reliable power supply from the new line. The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (Ketraco) on Tuesday energised the newly built 132 kilovolt (kV) Kisii-Awendo power line alongside its sub-station.

The region previously relied on the ageing 33 kV line, resulting in unreliable supply and power losses that hurt homes and businesses.

“With the replacement of the 33kV line that was susceptible to faults that resulted in power outages, Kisii and Awendo will experience reduced power outages and an increased reliability of supply,” Ketraco said yesterday in a statement. The managing director Fernandes Barasa said reliable power supply should make South Nyanza more appealing to investors and trigger more economic activity.

Ketraco is in charge of constructing and maintaining high voltage power lines and substations.

READ: Ketraco to spend Sh362bn on power lines

Businesses set to benefit from improved power supply to the region include Kuja Irrigation Scheme that relies on electricity to run its mechanised farming and Sony Sugar.

“The Sugar firm, having access to additional and efficient power can undertake to optimise the value chain in sugar agri-business through commercialisation of other derivatives from the sugar manufacturing process. These include ethanol production, water bottling, briquettes production and co-generation.”

The new high-voltage power line will run parallel to the old line, providing redundancy in power supply and less downtime.

“During the periods when the 132kV line is switched off for maintenance, the 33kV feeders will act as alternatives that will supply the areas with uninterrupted power,” the company said.