By JUDITH NAMUTOWE –
THE construction of the Zambia Tanzania Kenya (ZTK) power interconnector is underway in the various sections of the identified sites for the power lines in the three countries.
In a recent meeting of energy permanent secretaries, senior officials and experts from Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya in Arusha, Tanzania, it was revealed that remarkable progress has been achieved including construction of power pylons, substations and cabling.
This is contained in the e-Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)  newsletter, Issue number 459 accessed by the Times in Lusaka at the weekend.
The long-term objective of the project was to provide opportunities to conduct power trade in the region and facilitate the creation of a Pan African power market from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt and Tripoli in Libya.
The implementation of the project was financed under the 10th European Development Fund through an Implementation Agreement signed in 2011 between COMESA and  Zambia’s  Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development.
According to the newsletter, the grant has enabled the three countries to hold ministerial, Project Steering Committee (PSC) and officials’ meetings that culminated into the development of the framework for the “The Implementation Agreement will cater for preparatory activities on the project.
It also provides the legal mandate to the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development  through the Office for Promoting Private Power Investment (OPPPI) to implement the grant agreement,” states the newsletter.
The Intergovernmental MoU states, among others, that individual countries shall develop, own and manage the assets in their respective geographic boundaries.