The State has picked a consortium of two firms —Grid Solution SAS and Indian firm Larsen & Toubro — to build a new Sh12.26 billion national electricity dispatch hub to be managed by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco).
The National System Control Centre (NSCC) is currently located on Nairobi’s Juja Road and has been run by Kenya Power until January 2022 when the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) stripped it of its role.
A system operator controls the mix of electricity from different producers supplied to the national grid to primarily ensure grid stability and that consumers get the cheapest available power.
The operator also matches the demand for power from consumers with electrical energy availability, maintaining the security of the electric power system and arranging for the dispatch process. The new NSCC will be built in Embakasi and will take 36 months to complete.
“We are building a state-of-the-art National System Control Centre in Embakasi that is essential for the efficient operation of the grid,” Ketraco Managing Director John Mativo said.
Ketraco had earlier targeted to have construction of the new NSCC start in June this year but delays in awarding the contract delayed the commencement. This will also push forward the targeted completion date of 2026.
Construction of the new facility is being financed jointly by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the French Ministry of Finance.
A backup centre will also be constructed to provide an alternative dispatch point in case the main national control centre fails.
The location of the backup facility remains undisclosed although earlier, this had been targeted to be built in Narok.
Construction of the new NSCC is part of the ongoing revamp of the aging electricity transmission network in a bid to ensure a steady and reliable supply of electricity to meet the country’s growing demands.
The new NSCC comes at a time when Kenya is increasingly focusing on generating more electricity from intermittent sources notably wind and solar, heightening the need for a modern control centre.
