Kenya has officially requested to double its electricity imports from Ethiopia, according to the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
The request was submitted through Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ethiopia currently exports 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Kenya under a 25-year agreement that began over two years ago.
The agreement stipulates that Kenya would receive 200mw during the first three years—until November 2025—after which the supply would automatically increase to 400mw.
However, due to rising industrial demand, Kenya is now seeking to import 400mw ahead of schedule.
“According to the agreement, if Kenya waits until the end of the three-year phase, the power supply will automatically double to 400mw but since they are requesting the increase before the initial phase ends, a renegotiation is required,” Moges Mekonen, Communications Director said in a briefing on Tuesday .
Ethiopia began exporting power to Djibouti and Sudan in 2015, and to Kenya in November 2022.
However, electricity exports to Sudan have declined by 80% due to the ongoing civil war, which has severely damaged that country’s power infrastructure.
Although Ethiopia had committed to supplying 100mw to Sudan, current exports have dropped to just 10–20mw due to the disruption of its national grid.
Kenya’s electricity imports from Ethiopia and Uganda rose by 66.7 percent in 2024 as Nairobi depended on the two countries to stabilise its power supply, amid rising demand, increased transmission and distribution losses.
MG/as/APA