Kenya Power changes tack in war on transformer vandals
Kenya Power transformer suppliers will have to shift to converters that contain aluminium windings, as opposed to copper ones currently in use as the utility firm moves to tame vandals who have cost it dearly.
The electricity distributor says its suppliers will now be required to adhere to new guidelines to save the company from losses that it incurs on vandalism.
The new specifications are intended to increase durability of transformers while making them less attractive to vandals.
“This is one of deliberate steps being undertaken by the company to ensure that we offer the best service to our customers.
“In the past, the challenge of vandalism has adversely affected our business thus calling for innovative ways of tackling that problem,” said managing director Ben Chumo.
Suppliers will also be required to provide a list of critical raw materials and their sources to ease traceability of parts and control quality of the equipment.
The new guidelines also require suppliers to issue a warranty of six years and five years from the date of delivery and commissioning respectively.
This, says Kenya Power, will help in reducing transformer failure rates and compel manufacturers to take responsibility for any defects.
“By requiring transformer manufacturers to reveal their source of raw materials, the company will be in a position to avoid low standard equipment that could compromise the efficiency of the network,” he said.
Last year, 222 transformers were vandalised resulting in a loss of Sh86 million to the company compared to 268 transformers that were destroyed in the previous year, costing Sh100 million.
From July to date, 33 transformers have been damaged compared to 50 in the same period last year.
The new requirements are expected to contribute to improving the quality of power supply by reducing outages resulting from vandalism.
