Kenya Power, through its Institute of Energy Studies and Research (IESR), has rolled out a wildlife protection project to safeguard birds of prey and other animals from electrocution.
The project will be implemented along sections of the country’s electricity network that are wildlife corridors, in partnership with US-based Kaddas Enterprises.
It involves retrofitting wildlife-friendly covers on sections of power lines that are considered hotspots for electrocution.
The project kicked off at the Sosyambu Conservancy,
approximately 130 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, where electrocution of most
birds of prey has been reported.
The Soysambu Conservancy is a critical habitat for Kenya's raptors, such as the Augur Buzzard and Martial Eagle, species that utilise power lines and poles for perching and hunting.
“Wildlife is part of our national heritage, which heavily drives our tourism sector. Equally, Kenya Power’s role in energy distribution is a key component of our country’s economic growth. We aspire to ensure peaceful coexistence between nature and the energy infrastructure. Thus, at IESR, our focus is to develop solutions that support this co-existence and enhance business efficiency,” said Henry Pwani, Head of Research at IESR.
Electrocution of animals and human activities account for most cases of power outages, estimated to be approximately 50 per cent.
Of these, 30 per cent are attributable to wildlife contact with power lines. The five-year partnership between Kenya Power (through IESR) and Kaddas Enterprises is tipped to substantially reduce cases of electrocution of wildlife, as well as power outages resulting from these incidents.
“By safeguarding wildlife, we are also improving power supply reliability to give a better experience for our customers. This is a win-win situation for the environment and our business,” said Pwani.
He added that IESR will continue to explore more solutions for the issues affecting the community where Kenya Power operates.
Simon Thomset, Consultant with Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund with one of the rescued birds of prey at the Soysambu Raptor Centre.
The Lanet-Naivasha Interconnector, which traverses Soysambu Conservancy, has faced power supply interruptions linked to electrocution of birds and animals such as giraffes.
Lessons from the implementation of the wildlife protection project along this line will be instrumental in the rollout of the project across other areas within the country.
“This line serves a big part of Nakuru County, and by undertaking this project here, we are looking forward to picking lessons that will be helpful as the project is rolled out in other hotspot areas across the country,” said Wesley Kerich, Kenya Power’s County Business Manager for Nakuru.
Beyond retrofitting wildlife-friendly covers on power lines, the partnership between Kenya Power’s IESR and Kaddas Enterprises also includes a training component targeting Kenya Power’s technical staff, which is intended to create awareness and develop champions to spearhead the wildlife protection agenda in designing the energy infrastructure.
