Kenya Power Launches Final Phase of the Live Line Maintenance Project

Kenya Power has today, 28th October 2019, launched the Live Line Maintenance Project which is meant to reduce planned electricity shutdowns, enhance the stability of power supply and improve revenue generation.

The Live Line Project by Kenya Power was initiated in FY 2014/15 after extensive studies on modern methods of reducing planned outages. During the Pilot stage, Kenya Power acquired 8 insulated platforms, three digger derricks, and was able to train 72 staff on Live Line maintenance.

After a successful Pilot, the World Bank contributed USD.20 Million towards the Live Line Maintenance Project which was used in three portions; the procurement of insulated platforms, tools and accessories, the establishment of a testing facility and Training of staff in Distribution Live Line techniques.

“The objective of the Live Line Project is to train staff so as to be able to carry out the Network Maintenance on High Voltage Lines without completely switching off the supply,” says Kenya Power on the project that is going to be a complete game-changer in power supply in the country.

The new Live Line Project is aimed at doing the following: changing of rotten poles, repairing broken conductors, changing Line accessories, Trace clearance along the way leaves and connection of new customers.

According to Kenya Power, since the introduction of the Live Line Project, the number of shutdowns across the country has reduced by about 40 percent and this is expected to reduce further once the project is fully implemented.

“The Live Line Maintenance Project has been a success and is significantly building into the Agenda 4 initiatives. We are grateful to the Financers, the Contractors and all those who have participated in one way or the other for the success of this Project” said Kenya Power in a statement.

According to Kenya Power, so far, the project has had tremendous achievements. For one, the testing Facility being established at the Institute of Energy Studies and Research ground is 80 percent complete with all the test equipment already in the country.

The procurement of tools and accessories towards the project is 95 percent complete with only a few items awaiting deliveries.

When the project was launched in 2017, it was projected that 144 staff would be trained in 18 sessions of 3 months each and to date, Kenya Power has completed 15 sessions, with the rest being completed by February 2019.

Upon completion of today’s launch, the 24 trucks plus the 8 earlier procured in the Pilot together with the teams, will be deployed to all of Kenya Power’s Operational areas in the 10 Regions of Kenya.

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