Friday’s major power blackout was caused by the partial collapse of the national grid which stemmed from a hitch at Suswa substation, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has explained.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
“Today, Friday 6th September 2024 at 8.56 am, the 220kV High Voltage Loiyangalani transmission line tripped at Suswa substation while evacuating 288MW from Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) plant.
This was followed by a trip on the Ethiopia – Kenya 500kV DC interconnector that was then carrying 200MW, resulting to a total loss of 488MW,” he said in a statement.
“The total demand in the system at the time was 1790 MW. The loss of 488MW, accounting for 27.3% of the total generation, resulted in cascade failure and partial collapse of the grid,” the CS added.
Mr Wandayi said that power has been restored to 70 percent of the country.
Friday’s power outage is the second major one in less than a week, affecting all parts of Kenya except parts of the North Rift and Western regions.
It also comes just a day after CS Wandayi demanded a report from Kenya Power on the technical, operational, human capital and protection of the power system as he steps in to tackle the national blackouts.
Mr Wandayi on Thursday, September 5, also ordered the firm’s board to embark on reforms that include reducing energy costs.
The country has frequently experienced widespread power cuts, including on the evening of Mr Wandayi’s homecoming ceremony, which was graced by President William Ruto….CLICK HERE FOR MORE ARTICLE>>>
