KETRACO meets Bamburi Cement to discuss Coast power supply plans

The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) Acting Managing Director Eng. Kibias Kipkemoi hosted top leadership from Bamburi Cement PLC to discuss collaborative efforts aimed at strengthening grid reliability across the Coastal region.

The meeting involved Bamburi Cement Chief Executive Officer Mr. Geoffrey Ndugwa and Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Director Ms. Jane Wangari Kinyua. Discussions centered on boosting power delivery to manufacturing facilities and supporting regional economic activities.

Eng. Kibias provided progress updates on key grid infrastructure developments in the region. He noted that construction on the 132-kilovolt (kV) Rabai–Bamburi–Kilifi transmission line is expected to resume soon.

He also highlighted the 220kV Malindi–New Kilifi transmission line. The project aims to deliver an alternative power route, offering greater redundancy, improving electricity reliability for local industries, and reducing heavy reliance on expensive diesel backup generators.

These developments complement ongoing infrastructure investments across the Coast. Key projects include the Rabai–Malindi–Garsen–Lamu transmission line, the Mariakani Substation, and the Mariakani–Dongo Kundu transmission line, which directly serves the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone and surrounding port facilities.

Together, the developments are targeted at improving access to renewable power sources, including geothermal, wind, and hydro energy. KETRACO expects these transmission upgrades to support regional industrial growth and economic expansion.

Both leadership teams emphasized the necessity of continued technical cooperation to meet growing power demands. Eng. Kibias extended an invitation to the Bamburi Cement delegation to tour active project sites across the region to inspect the ongoing grid developments.

The grid operator reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a stable, affordable, and sustainable power network serving both the Coastal region and the country at large.