KenGen Hydropower. Featured image: Stock The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority has released a report stating that the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has exceeded expectations in the amount of electricity generated through its hydropower stations.
The demand for electricity in Kenya hit a new record rising to a peak of 2,036MW, the highest ever recorded in history. This marks a significant resurgence in demand since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
At the same time, the country recorded a new energy gross demand peak of 36,381MWh mostly drawn from renewable energy sources as the economy responds positively to the lifting of some of the COVID-19 related restrictions.
KenGen contributed to the largest jump in renewable energy share with the company scaling up production in its geothermal, hydro and wind power stations to meet the growing demand.
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The total amount of electricity generated by KenGen through its hydropower stations exceeded the period’s projections by 581MWh, denoting a 5.56% increase. KenGen’s total installed hydro capacity currently stands at 826MW.
KenGen’s Gitaru, Kindaruma, Kamburu and Kiambere Power Stations were among the hydro power stations that surpassed the projected power generation output. The stations are part of the Seven Forks cascade which forms a crucial component of KenGen’s power generation infrastructure and about 29% of Kenya’s total installed capacity.
Commenting on the report, KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Rebecca Miano said the NSE-listed firm was committed to delivering on its energy generation mandate to meet the country’s growing demand for electricity through renewable energy sources.
“KenGen is committed to ensuring steady and reliable supply of competitively priced energy to support Kenya’s economy. The company is doing this by accelerating deployment of renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, wind and solar,” said Miano.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, during his visit to Glasgow for the Climate Change Conference ( COP26 ), said Kenya was aiming to transition to clean energy by the year 2030, in order to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector.He noted that renewable energy currently accounts for 73% of Kenya’s installed power generation capacity while 90% of electricity in use is from green sources among them geothermal, wind, solar and hydro-electric installations.“…The energy sector accounts for three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions. The critical challenge, therefore, is how to reduce carbon emissions from […]