Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Managing Director Joseph Siror on February 20 explained why the cost of electricity is high compared to other countries in Africa.
While presenting the Company’s Operational Performance Report, Eng. Siror said electricity in Kenya constitute of several components which reflect on the final costs.
“There are many components that go into the final cost of electricity. In Kenya, the power generation mix is predominantly green, resulting in competitively priced power compared to other regions in the continent,” said Siror.
The Company dispatches 40 percent of Geothermal, 24 percent of hydros and 11 percent of EEP import daily.
Additionally, Kenya Power dispatches 3percent Solar, 17 percent Wind and 5 percent Thermal energy.
“With improved hydrology, we are now dispatching minimal thermal power, resulting in the distribution of competitively priced power for the benefit of our customers,” added Siror.
Kenya Power New Connections
Siror revealed that the Company has a total of 256,206 new customers connected as of the end of December 2023, against the targeted 225,000 customers.
The new customer connections increased the total customer base to 9,454,819 customers.
“Our aim is to connect 4 million additional households by 2030 towards the achievement of universal access to electricity,” he said.
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Rapid Results Initiative
This accelerated connectivity was driven by the availability of meters and the deployment of the (RRI) which is meant to fast-track meter installation for new connections across the country.
The total pending new connections stood at 236,924 at the beginning of October 2023 when the RRI was launched.
According to the MD, the backlog resulted from protracted court battles that hindered procurement of meters and other materials.
“Following the improvement in meter availability, we recently initiated a metering initiative to accelerate connections. We have exceeded our target for the half-year period, and we are on course towards the attainment of our annual target, which will positively impact the journey towards universal access to electricity by the year 2030.” said Siror.
Besides, the Company targets to connect 400,000 new customers to the national grid by June 2024.
Last Mile Connectivity Project
Apart from the RRI, the Company is also banking on the implementation of other projects such as the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) to achieve its annual connectivity targets.
So far, Siror said 1,431,423 customers have been connected to the grid through the LMCP.
The project is funded by the Government of Kenya, World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), AFD, European Union (EU), European Investment Bank (EIB) and JICA.
Phase 4 of the LMCP targets connecting 280,000 customers across 32 counties within a period of 18 months.
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Smart Meters
Kenya Power has also installed 67,000 smart meters targeting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Meter Data Management Infrastructure.
Smart meters provide real-time monitoring and remote reading, offering consumers the ability to effortlessly track and get a clear picture of their electricity consumption patterns.
Further, he explained that the Company is determined to address the power distribution constraints in the Country.
He also welcomed the new regulations gazette by the Energy and Petroleum Regulations Authority (EPRA) on ‘Electricity Market, Bulk Supply and Open access.