KPC upgrades capacity of Nairobi – Eldoret pipeline by 56%

The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has completed the second phase of the Line IV (Nairobi -Eldoret pipeline) upgrade project.

Strata Industrial Limited was the local contractor for the project.

The upgrade has increased the product flowrate along the 14-inch western Kenya pipeline by 56% to 515M3 per hour up from the current 330M3 per hour.

The project which begun in 2022 comprises a fully-fledged Pump Station at Ngema (PS22) with two mainline pumps installed to operate on 1+1 mode (one pump operating and another on standby).

Speaking during the project technical handover ceremony held in Ngema, David Muriuki the Infrastructure General Manager and Project Engineer was upbeat about the impact of the Line IV upgrade project.

“With the accelerated flow rate of 515M3 per hour, up from an average of 380M3 per hour, KPC will certainly meet the Western Kenya product demand,” he said

He added that the Line IV upgrade project was one of the projects earmarked by KPC to enhance product availability in Western Kenya depots and ensure neighbouring countries have sufficient fuel to run their economies.

The western Kenya depots of Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret are the pillars of KPC’s export market. Rwanda, Burundi, Northern Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda and DRC source their products from these depots.

“We will gradually increase the current flow rate of 515m3/hr based on product demand to an optimal rate of 757m3/hr once the third phase of the upgrade project is complete. Plans are also underway to re-configure the Nairobi Terminal (PS21) to a 2+1 mode (two pumps running and one on standby). This will ensure maximum utilization of the pipeline,” said the Commissioning Engineer James Kimaiyos said.

“The completion of this project marks a pivotal moment for KPC and the Oil and Gas subsector at large. This being the first time a local contractor has been entrusted with the full scope of constructing a pumping station, the successful completion of the project demonstrates the growing capability of local expertise and signals a new era for infrastructure development in the region,” Andrew Birir, the Principal Assistant to the Project Engineer said.

The first phase of the Live IV upgrade project was completed in 2011. It included the construction of the 14-inch pipeline from Nairobi to Eldoret and installation of two pumps at PS21 (Nairobi Terminal) and PS24 (Nakuru) to operate on 1+1 mode with a designed flow rate of 378M3 per hour.

info@theenergyreview.com