KenGen boss promises Kenyans cheaper electricity amid increased hydropower generation
Kenyans who rely on electricity for their day-to-day activities have a reason to smile after the Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) announced plans to stabilise power costs.
In a statement on Monday, February 5, KenGen CEO Eng. Peter Njenga attributed plans to lower the electricity prices to increased hydropower generation. This comes after the country’s main dams in the Seven Forks Cascade hit one of the highest water levels in the recent past.
According to the KenGen boss, Masinga Dam, which is Kenya's largest, has maintained near maximum water levels of 1,056 meters above sea level (mASL), over the last three days.
“We are happy to report that we are receiving very good inflows from the Mount Kenya and Aberdares catchment areas which has led to high water levels at our dams,” Njenga said.
“This will see Kenyans reap the full benefit of cheaper electricity," he added.
Over the last 24 hours, the power stations at Seven Forks have recorded a peak output of more than 471MW which the management says will go a long way in stabilising grid-scale electricity costs.
Amid the rising water levels, KenGen reassured members of the public, especially those residing downstream of the dams, that they do not expect to have water spilling downriver any time soon.
“Despite getting close to the maximum water levels at the Masinga Dam which is our biggest, we have not reached spilling level thanks to a robust water management program being implemented by our engineers. We however remain vigilant and will issue an alert should we envision a potential water overflow from the large dams,” Njenga assured the residents.
KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating more than 60 per cent of the electricity distributed by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company.
The company's declaration comes a month after power costs hit a new high following the hike in fuel and foreign charges on the commodity by 16.5 per cent.
In its power prices review last month, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) increased the energy charge by 8.7 per cent to Ksh4.33 per unit up from Ksh3.98 in December.
