The interconnector’s 500kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line spans 1,045km with a 2,000MW capacity. It runs from the Wolayta-Sodo converter station in Ethiopia crossing into Kenya to end at the Suswa Substation.
Completed in November 2022 and inaugurated in 2023, it is one of only a handful of HVDC links on the continent, alongside the Cahora Bassa HVDC Interconnector between Mozambique and South Africa, which acts as the primary backbone for the Southern African Power Pool, much as the Ethiopia-Kenya line anchors the East African Power Pool.
Continuing this impressive East African interconnector’s legacy, Ethiopia plans to double exports to Kenya over the interconnector, from 200MW to 400MW at peak and from 65MW to 150MW off-peak, by December 2026.
In mid-September 2026, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) announced that technical preparations to increase supplies… [download the Energy & Storage Volume to find out more]
