In Muranga County, Kenya, a crucial project to enhance electricity supply reached completion as planned, thanks to Eaton, an intelligent power management company, and its collaboration with various partners.
The project involved constructing a new power plant urgently needed to provide electricity to communities in the region. Despite facing challenges in the supply chain, Eaton, in partnership with Switchgear Ltd. and Hydrobox, ensured the project’s success.
Hydrobox, specializing in containerized power plants for remote areas, required components for building a hybrid power plant with 55 km grid lines to a distant site in Gitugu, Kenya. Eaton supplied all necessary components, ranging from miniature circuit breakers to large air circuit breakers.
The project encountered setbacks due to supply chain disruptions caused by the global pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage in 2021. However, Eaton demonstrated resilience by exploring alternative delivery methods and even providing direct deliveries to the end customer when needed.
Deon Ferreira, Eaton’s country sales manager for Southern & East Africa, highlighted the extensive support provided to Hydrobox, including a wide range of components and engineering assistance.
Rik Vereecken, chief technology officer of Hydrobox/Yetu Smart Grids, praised Eaton for its comprehensive service approach, emphasizing their ecosystem that ensures customer satisfaction through a reliable supplier network.
Ultimately, Eaton’s timely supply of products enabled Hydrobox to complete the project on schedule, setting the Gitugu power plant on course to meet its target of supplying over 2 Gigawatts of power to the hydropower mini-grid project by 2023.
