•The 507-kilometre line runs from the Isinya sub-station to Arusha through Namanga.
•It can transfer 2,000 megawatts, allowing the cross-border exchange of cheap and cleaner surplus power from neighbouring countries.
The high voltage (400-kilovolt) electricity transmission line between Kenya and Tanzania is complete and awaits commissioning, Energy and Petroleum CS Davis Chirchir has said.
This ends nearly a decade of the project's implementation, whose Kenyan side faced numerous challenges, including land compensation.
The latest developments come even as the African Development Bank (AfDB) calls on the two countries to speed up the signing of key agreements, to pave the way for the exchange of excess electricity via the Sh43 billion line.
These include a wheeling agreement between Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) and Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco), a power exchange deal between Kenya Power and Tanesco and a tripartite deal for the maintenance of the interconnected grid.
Wheeling agreement means a contract providing for the use of the electric transmission facilities of one electric utility, to transmit power and energy of another electric utility or other entity to a third party.
The agreements are to support cross-border transmission and trade in energy between the two countries and beyond, under the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).
The 507-kilometre line that runs from the Isinya substation to Arusha through Namanga can transfer 2,000 megawatts, allowing the cross-border exchange of cheap and cleaner surplus power from neighbouring countries in the power pool states.
The line whose construction started in 2015 was surrounded by uncertainties, as Ketraco delayed completing its part.
This was mainly blamed on hitches in compensation and resettling of families along the project.
"The infrastructure is fully in place and testing done...we are now looking at when we can commission it," Chirchir said on Tuesday, during a media briefing at the EAPP Steering Committee and Council of Ministers meeting, in Nairobi.
Countries in the region's power pool are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, DR Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Somalia, Rwanda and Libya.
Kenya currently imports cheap hydroelectricity from Ethiopia and Uganda, supporting the country's main grid supply and helping avoid power rationing, especially last year when hydro-generation hit record lows on prolonged drought.
The EAPP is pushing for regional interconnectivity to further increase trading in electricity.
Kenya has already reaped the rewards of regional integration through bilateral frameworks such as importing 200MW of renewable energy from Ethiopia and engaging in energy exchange with Uganda,Chirchir noted.
"These initiatives have ensured a reliable energy supply and reduced outage risks," The CS said.
Talks are ongoing with Independent Power Producers and Independent Transmission Developers, to be part of the EAPP.
EAPP Secretary General James Wahogo said member countries must pull together to ensure implementation of cross-border transmission projects is successful, strengthen regional connectivity, and ensure the reliable supply of electricity.
"Together, we have the potential to impact 600 million people through increasing electrification rates within the region," Wahogo said.
Currently, the countries are trading over 3,400GWh annually, a significant growth from 504GWh of power transferred in the region when the EAPP was established in 2005.
The member countries are expected to have a fully working power market (go live) by the end of December 2024.
Here, power will be traded in an auction platform with countries with excess power being able to offload or sell to the one that needs it.
"This market will take us from bilateral trade to trade amongst all countries in the region, ensuring not only regular supply but efficient use of energy," Wahogo said.