Kenya to rely on imports to lower cost of electricity

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua |  Kenya plans to rely on imports to lower the cost of electricity for household and industrial consumers, a government official said Wednesday.

Daniel Kiptoo, director general of the Energy, and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that neighboring East African countries such as Ethiopia have abundant sources of power that they are willing to sell to Kenya.

“Some of our neighbors have a cheaper average cost of generation of electricity and these imports will help to bring down our costs,” Kiptoo said during a public participation workshop on Kenya’s oil pipeline tariffs.

He said that Kenya has already signed a power purchase agreement with Ethiopia to purchase 200 MW of power beginning in November.

Kiptoo revealed that the Ethiopia-Kenya electricity transmission interconnector with a length of 612 km on the Kenyan side will be completed in October in readiness for the imports.

According to the electricity regulator, the Kenya-Tanzania and the Kenya-Uganda electricity lines are currently under construction.

Kiptoo revealed that the country’s total installed electricity generating capacity is approximately 2,990 MW. ■