Demand for electricity hits record high

KenGen MD Rebecca Miano addresses the press on the progress of the construction of the 165 Megawatts power plant at Olkaria in Naivasha.[File]

Kenya's demand for electricity has shot up to more than 2,036 megawatts following the reopening of the economy that had been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the new power demand is the highest ever peak recorded in the country's history. In March 2021, peak demand stood at 1,980MW up from 1,976MW in December 2020.

The revelations come at a time consumers have cried foul over the rising cost of electricity with President Uhuru Kenya promising a review before Christmas. In a statement, the firm said most of the electricity was sourced from renewable energy sources. KenGen’s installed hydro capacity stands at 826MW.

KenGen Chief Executive Rebecca Miano said the firm is accelerating deployment of renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, wind and solar to meet the rising demand.

“KenGen is committed to ensuring a steady and reliable supply of competitively priced energy to support Kenya's economy,” she said. 

KenGen’s Gitaru, Kindaruma, Kamburu, and Kiambere power stations were among the hydro power stations that surpassed the projected power generation output.