ERC to draft new policy to regulate energy use

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will publish new policy guidelines to regulate use of energy. According to the regulator, under the proposed guidelines, consumers who use electricity to boil at least 1,000 litres of water or more would be required to install solar panels, among a raft of other measures.

ERC Director General Joe Ng'ang'a said the new initiative will help curb unnecessary power usage. Ng'ang'a said the policy will also help institutions and firms save on power and reduce their power bills. "We are working on the policy, which entails cutting usage of electricity through introduction of renewable sources of alternative energy to serve the needs of consumers," said Ng'ang'a.

Speaking to journalists at a stakeholders' workshop on electricity, renewable energy and downstream petroleum at the Sportsman's Hotel in Nanyuki, the Director General said the Government was keen to popularise use of renewable energy.

He said the Government was also eager to complete development of the 300 Megawatts Turkana wind power project in Kipeto and other ongoing projects in Kinangop and Ngong, which will add an extra 85MW to the national grid.

"We are also happy that some counties have started tapping wind power and are in consultation with companies involved in harnessing the resource," said Ng'ang'a.

He, however, decried resistance by land owners to give way to development of infrastructure. He singled out challenges faced in putting up a power line that was meant to import 400KV from Ethiopia, development of the Standard Gauge Railway and pipeline projects. He said ranchers were opposed to routing of the high voltage power lines on their lands, with claims that it poses a direct threat to the tourism industry in Laikipia.

The power project is partially funded by the African Development Bank and partly by the World Bank. According to reports posted the African Development Bank's website, the Ethiopia-Kenya power interconnection system is planned to provide a reliable power supply to Kenya from Ethiopia.

"We are having challenges in accessing way leave in various projects, among them the Ethiopian power project, and this is happening in all infrastructural projects. "We are involving the National Land Commission and other State agencies to resolve these emerging challenges," said Ng'ang'a.