Hydro-power constitutes around 60 per cent of the total electricity generated in Kenya. The bulk of this electricity is tapped from five generating plants along the River Tana. The five stations combined - Kindaruma, Kamburu, Gitaru, Masinga and Kiambere - have an installed capacity of more than 400 MW.
Turkwel Gorge Power Station in north-western Kenya has an installed capacity of 106 MW. There are also several small hydro stations - Mesco, Ndula, Wanjii, Tana, Gogo Falls and Selby Falls - all built before independence in 1963, with a combined generation output of 40 MW.
Geothermal energy is generated using natural steam tapped from volcanic-active zones in the Rift Valley. Some 127 MW is fed into the national grid from three plants located at Olkaria.
Thermal (fuel-generated) energy is generated in power stations at Mombasa and Nairobi.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited, KenGen is the leading electric power generation company in Kenya, producing about 80 percent of electricity consumed in the country. The company utilises various sources to generate electricity ranging from hydro, geothermal, thermal and wind. Hydro is the leading source, with an installed capacity of 677.3MW, which is 72.3 per cent of the company’s installed capacity.
KenGen is in direct competition with four Independent Power Producers who between them produce about 18 percent of the country’s electric power. KenGen has a workforce of 1,500 staff located at different power plants in the country. With its wealth of experience, established corporate base and a clear vision, the company intends to maintain leadership in the liberalised electric energy sub-sector in Kenya and the Eastern Africa Region. KenGen Headquarters are located at Stima Plaza Phase III, Kolobot Road, Parklands, Nairobi.
KPLC (Kenya Power and Lighting Company) is a limited liability company responsible for the transmission, distribution and retail of electricity throughout Kenya. KPLC owns and operates the national transmission and distribution grid, and is responsible for the scheduling and dispatch of electricity to more than 600,000 customers throughout Kenya.
KPLC is responsible for ensuring that there is adequate line capacity to maintain supply and quality of electricity across the country. The interconnected network of transmission and distribution lines covers about 23,000 kilometers.
The national grid is operated as an integral network, linked by a 220 kV and 132 kV transmission network. A limited length of 66 kV transmission lines are also in use.
The national grid impacts on the future growth of the energy sector because any new generation capacity must take into consideration the existing network and its capacity to handle new loads.
KPLC reinforces the power transmission and distribution network by constructing more lines and substations. Although the network has been growing at an average rate of 4 per cent over the past five years, lack of funds has hampered accelerated expansion.
There are, however, plans to expand it substantially to ensure reliable energy transmission. These include the ongoing construction of 132 kV transmission from Kipevu to Rabai, and the planned 220kV line from Kiambere to Nairobi.
Efficiency of the transmission and distribution network continues to be enhanced in both technical and non-technical aspects. Planned technical improvements include re-conductoring of lines, installation of capacitors, and construction of additional feeders and substations. Non-technical improvements include introduction of electronic meters, improvement of meter reading accuracy, fraud control and resolution of billing anomalies.
KPLC is also undertaking a loss-reduction study to complement measures aimed at reducing the total system losses, currently at around 20 per cent.
KPLC has more than 550,000 customers who consume an average of 3.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year.
For the past five years,for the past five years growth in electricity has been affected by the severe drought experienced in 1999 to 2000 and the decline in economic growth. This maximum demand is to be 850 MW by mid 2005.
In the long term, the installed capacity is projected to increase by 1342 MW between 2004 and 2018/2019 and will comprise geothermal (503 MW), hydro (220.6 MW) and thermal (568.7 MW) sources.
National consumption of electricity is projected to rise from 4.9 billion kilowatt hours in 2003/2004 to 5.1 billion in 2004/2005, and 6.9 billion kilowatt hours in 2009/2010 and to 11.8 billion in 20/9/20.
The Sondu Miriu Project is a 60MW hydro power station in the least cost programme. The tender for Civil Works has been awarded to Konoike Construction JV. Konoike is undertaking the project jointly with Viedekke Heavy Construction Company of Norway and Murray &Roberts Contractors International of South Africa. The consultant of the project is Nippon Koei Company of Japan. Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) and KenGen are funding the project. The power station is scheduled for commissioning by the year 2006. The contractor is on site and civil works is almost complete.
The Geothermal Exploration and Developments project entails that exploration for geothermal energy in the high potential areas of the Kenya Rift are now ongoing. KenGen has conducted surface scientific studies in
Suswa, Longonot, and Eburru and Menengai. Six exploratory wells were drilled at Eburru.
More exploration work is now ongoing in the Lake Baringo area. The surface exploration work around Lake Baringo, despite the fact that the area is not associated with volcanic centers, was prompted by a strange phenomenon in March 2004, when a shallow (80m) borehole discharged hot water at more than 95oC.
Other high potential areas earmarked for further exploration include, among others, Silali, Emurauangogolak, Paka, Korosi, Barrier volcanoes and Arus- Lake Bogoria.
In terms of the Olkaria II Geothermal Power project, plans are underway to add a third unit of 35 MW to the 70 MW Olkaria II Geothermal Power Plant. This will bring the total output from the station to 105 MW. This emanated from the execess stem available in both Olkaria II and Olkaria I geothermal fields. Olkaria I steam field has capacity to generate 70 MW but the power plant is generating 45 MW only, leaving an excess of 25 MW. Olkaria II steam field has capacity of about 98 MW while the plant only utilizes 70 MW, leaving a balance of 28 MW. The World Bank has already approved the funding for the project. A consultant will update the numerical simulation study of Olkaria I geothermal field and carry out similar study for the Olkaria II geothermal field. The results of this study are expected to confirm that there is sufficient steam to sustain production at the anticipated expanded generation capacity of 150 MW for another 30 years.
Kenya is highly dependent on hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity plants provide about 75% of all electrical output. Five major stations in the Tana River basis supply power to Kenya. They are: Kindaruma (44 MW), Gitaru (225 MW), Kamburu (94.2 MW), Masinga (40 MW) and Kiambere (144 MW). The Turkwel Gorge Hydroelectric station in the Turkana district has a capacity of 106 MW. An additional 30 MW is drawn from the Owen Falls dam in Uganda. Gitaru is the biggest power station in Kenya in terms of installed capacity.
In the last quarter of 2003, Zambia, Tanzania, and Kenya signed an accord to build an electricity grid that will connect the power grids of the three countries. The feasibility study for the scheme, which includes its environmental impact assessment (EIA), has been financed through a $1.1 million World Bank Credit facility. Construction on the $323 million project, which will link the three countries so that they might access electricity from the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), the regional electricity group, will begin in October 2004 and are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006. It is envisaged that transmission lines will be constructed between Serenje (Zambia), Mbeye (Tanzania), Arusha (Tanzania) and Nairobi (Kenya), and the capacity of the links may be increased to 400 MW from an originally-envisaged 200 MW. This connection should reduce the cost of power through out the Great Lakes region.
In November 2003, Kenya and Tanzania began discussing a power supply agreement under which Tanzania's Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco) will supply power to the Kenyan border towns of Lunga Lunga and Vanga. To increase the country's access to additional power supply, Kenya in the same month joined in the memorandum of understanding to set up the so-called Eastern Africa Power Pool of regional countries working toward faster electrificaition, increased cost-effectiveness and quality of reliable supply in the region.
