A Kenya Power vehicle (file photo). Nairobi — Kenya Power says it has commenced the relocation of power lines between Mlolongo, Mombasa road, and James Gichuru road to pave way for construction of the 27.1-kilometer-long Nairobi Expressway.
The exercise is being carried out at a cost of Sh1.08 billion, an amount that will be met by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).
In a statement, the utility firm says it recognises the importance of the Expressway to the national infrastructure framework and is keen on completing this exercise with minimal interruptions to power supply.
"When executing projects of this magnitude, some of the customers within the estates along the Expressway corridor will experience interruptions in power supply. However, the Company is planning to minimize power interruptions by leveraging the Live Line Maintenance technology which relocate most of the lines without switching off supply," said the firm’s Managing Director & CEO, Bernard Ngugi.
The scope of work will involve the relocation of a combined 106 kilometres of high voltage (66kV), medium voltage (11kV), and low voltage cables as well as 28 transformers serving the area.
As at today, Kenya Power says it has covered 17 kilometres of the Expressway. Once completed, 40.6 kilometres of the network will pass underground.
"We aim to keep the lights on even as we carry out this critical exercise. We will ensure that we relocate as much network as possible using our Live Line Maintenance team to minimise interruption. Where it will be inevitable to switch off supply, we are scheduling interruptions and communicating the plan to customers," said Ngugi.
The exercise begun in September and will be completed at the end of November this year. It is being carried out by a team of 60 employees from Kenya Power and 4 external underground cabling contractors.
