Ethiopia has become Kenya's largest source of electricity imports, supplanting Uganda in a major shift for the region's cross-border power trade.
According to figures released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the country imported over 706 million kilowatt-hours of electricity from neighboring nations between January and November 2023. The bulk of these imports - around 546 million kWh - came from Ethiopia.
This marks a significant increase compared to the same period last year, when Kenya imported just 288 million kWh in total, with the majority from Uganda.
The growing imports from Ethiopia come as the result of improved transmission infrastructure between the two countries. The Kenya Energy Transmission Company recently completed the 500kV Ethiopia-Kenya Interconnector line, enabling cheaper hydroelectric power imports.
The new interconnectors are expected to facilitate greater regional power trading across East Africa going forward. According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, imports from Ethiopia specifically could rise by another 200 megawatts over the next three years.