KenGen to spend Sh1 billion on Masinga dam expansion

By JOHN NJIRAINI

Power generator KenGen will spend Sh1 billion to increase the capacity of Masinga dam to enable it hold more water for longer periods.

Expansion of the dam will eliminate the cycle of perennial power crisis, whenever the country is hit by a drought.

KenGen Managing Director Eddie Njoroge said the dam’s capacity would increase from 1.6 billion cubic metres holding capacity to two billion cubic metres. The dam level would be increased by 1.5 metres.

"We want to expand the dam to hold more water. We have already done the environmental and social impact assessment, and plan to award the contract soon," said Njoroge during a tour of the facility.

Following heavy rains that are pounding various parts of the country, Masinga dam, which is the main reservoir for the Seven Folks cascade, is filled to its capacity of 1,056.5 metres and a lot of water is going to waste.

A whooping 125 million cubic meters of water flows out of the dam every second, while inflow is 500 million cubic meters per second.

Water levels

This compares badly with June last year when KenGen shut generation from the dam due to reduced water levels. Back then water levels had declined to 1,035.58 metres with an inflow rate of five million cubic metres per second.

Njoroge said favourable rainfall has resulted in all the seven hydro generation plants along River Tana to working at full capacity.

Consequently, the firm plans to retire some 100 MW generated from thermal sources in the next two months and has already issued a three months notice to Aggreko to terminate a contract that was to run for a year.

This should result in a drastic reduction of electricity costs, as the fuel charge in the electricity bills would plummet from Sh6.72 to about Sh3.40.