NAIROBI, Oct.28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has launched a World Bank financed project to eliminate power blackouts in the country, the state-owned electricity distributor said on Monday.
Jared Othieno, acting CEO Kenya Power, told journalists in Nairobi that the commissioning of the Live Line Maintenance Program follows the completion of the pilot phase where specialized equipment was acquired.
"Following the success of the pilot phase, the World Bank has funded the program to a tune of 2 billion shillings (20 million U.S. dollars) for procurement of additional insulated trucks, tools and accessories, training of staff in live line maintenance techniques and establishment of a laboratory for testing live line equipment," Othieno said.
Kenya Power, which is the country's sole electricity distributor, said that it is focusing on enhancing the stability of the country's power supply as well as the expansion of revenue generation.
"We believe that improving the reliability of power supply to our customers is crucial in accelerating the development and growth of our country," he added.
Laurencia Njagi, a World Bank senior energy specialist, said that Kenya will be one of the few countries in Africa that will be able to conduct live power maintenance on electricity distribution lines without the need to switch off power.
Njagi noted that every shut down of the power lines results in huge financial costs for the economy.
