Grid Stabilization in Nyanza Achieved Through Commissioning of 132kV Sondu to Awendo Transmission Line

The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) has officially commissioned the 132kV Sondu-Ndhiwa-Homa Bay-Awendo transmission line, alongside its associated substations. The technical handover, which took place following successful energization at approximately 1607 hours on Thursday, concludes a significant expansion of the national grid into the South Nyanza region.

Spearheaded by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum in collaboration with the National Government Administration Officers, the project addresses chronic infrastructure bottlenecks that have historically limited electricity reliability in Western Kenya. For years, Homa Bay and Ndhiwa relied on a circuitous 200-kilometer transmission route from Kisumu via Muhoroni and Chemosit. The newly energized infrastructure provides a direct 69-kilometer link between the Sondu generation sources and the Ndhiwa load center, effectively shortening the transmission path and reducing technical losses.

Data from the grid operations center confirms that the commissioning has already initiated a significant rebalancing of power flows. Before this intervention, the Muhoroni-Chemosit corridor had been operating under heavy overload conditions, frequently reaching levels of 68MW. Following the activation of the new line, demand on this corridor has dropped to approximately 40MW. Currently, the Sondu plant is supplying 27MW directly to Ndhiwa, which has eased pressure on the wider network and improved voltage stability across Homa Bay and Migori counties.

The 132kV infrastructure includes new substations and bay extensions designed to handle approximately 70MW of additional capacity. This increased throughput is expected to accommodate a 15% rise in electrification rates for the region, which has seen average coverage grow from 40% to roughly 55%. By providing an alternative route for power evacuation from the Sondu and Sang’oro hydropower stations, the project also introduces critical redundancy to the western grid, allowing for maintenance without widespread service disruptions.

Construction of the line has been a long-term priority for KETRACO, with the most recent phase of works focused on the completion of the 132/33kV substations at Thurdibuoro, Ndhiwa, and the bay extension at Awendo. The project was primarily funded by the Government of Kenya, with the final contract for completion signed in early 2024 at a value of approximately KSh 692.8 million. 

Regional energy planners expect that the resolution of supply constraints will unlock suppressed demand from both domestic and industrial consumers. This uptick in consumption is projected to contribute to a new national peak demand in the coming weeks, surpassing the record 2,439MW established in late 2025. For industrial hubs and agro-processing plants in Nyanza, the completion of the line signifies the end of persistent load shedding and the beginning of a more stable environment for 24-hour operations.