CAIRO: Kenya's leading power company said it is in the final stages to convert overhead power lines into an underground cable system in the capital Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Kenya Power said in a press statement on Thursday that they are laying the new cables. It also comes after offshore undersea cables for East Africa's Internet services were cut, leaving many users with limited service over the past few days. Kenya Power Managing Director Joseph Njoroge said the company had already begun laying the cable, with the first running 2.5kilometers from a sub-station in the Central Business District to State House. “We are working on a proposal to undertake the works in Upperhill as a pilot then we move to Industrial area and then Mombasa. In two years time we should be commissioning in Upperhill and in an Industrial area, and Mombasa maybe in two and a half years,” he said. According to the company, the project involves laying a total of 645 kilometers of 11 Kilovolt lines and 1,570 kilometers of low voltage power lines underground in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. “The performance of the underground system has less interference and less influence by environmental factors and has better aesthetics,” Njoroge said. The move, he added, “will see a major reduction in power interruptions as well as offer a more reliable delivery of electricity supply.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/uvKpt Tags: Kenya, Powerlines Section: Africa, Latest News
