Concrete vs. wooden poles: Effects of the Shift to Concrete Poles on Tree Growers

Abstract

Preservative treated Eucalyptus poles have been used for power transmission for a long time in Kenya. The demand for treated poles has kept on increasing due to the Government efforts to connect more people with electricity and this has been matched with increased investment in growing of the species on both Kenya Forest Service (KFS) plantations and private farms. This has been well back-stopped by research initiatives, which have successfully developed a variety of hybrids of E. grandis and E. camaldulensis that are site-matched for different climatic regions including dry lands. Currently, wooden transmission poles are exclusively from Eucalyptus species, mainly consumed by Kenya Power and Lightning Company (KPLC) and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) with an estimated annual demand of 400,000 – 500,000 poles per year. The domestic supply of poles has been enough to fulfil the demand but the consumers have been importing about 10% of the requirement.