Energy in Kenya

  • How to boost private sector investment in Africa’s electricity infrastructure

    BOTSWANA, 2017/06/15 A new World Bank statement has called for increased private sector investment in Africa’s under-developed electricity transmission infrastructure, a vital ingredient for reaching Africa’s energy goals. The statement which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday by the World Bank indicated that Africa lags behind the rest of the world at the same time as it comes to electricity, with just 35 % of the people with access to power and a generation capacity of only 100 GW. According to the statement those who do have power typically consume relatively little, face frequent outages and pay high prices.
  • uganda Refutes Power Import Claims By Kenya

    KENYA, 2015/10/09 Barely three days after Kenya power regulators said they have doubled their power exports to Uganda, a senior official from ministry of Energy has refuted the claims. On Sunday the Daily Monitor sister newspaper Business Daily reported that Kenya had since more than doubled its electricity sales to Uganda. In the report, it was stated that a total of 26.56 million Kilowatt-hours (kWh) were being exported to Uganda and Tanzania over the last 12 months up from 12.63 million kWh indicating a 110.2 per cent growth. In an interview with ministry of Energy Permanent Secretary Kabagambe Kaliisa, it emerged that there has never been such a commercial transaction between the two neighbouring countries. He said: "There are no direct commercial power exports from Kenya to Uganda."
  • Lamu MCAs Approve Major Power Plant , Kenya

    KENYA, 2015/07/11 Lamu ward representatives have unanimously approved a 980MW coal-fired power plant, the major in East Africa. The Sh187 billion project approved on Wednesday will be built by Amu Power, a consortium of Gulf Energy and Centum Investment . It will be built in Kwasasi, Lamu West. The project generated great controversy over its health and environmental impact. The motion for approval was presented by Witu MCA Mohamed Athman on June 30.
  • Kenya Power to Sell 30mw Power to Rwanda

    KENYA, 2014/12/11 Kenya Power has entered into an agreement to sell 30MW of power to Rwanda in July 2015. The sale will boost Rwanda's supply that is hampered by generation capacity shortage, MD and CEO Ben Chumo said on Tuesday. The 30MW will be transmitted through Uganda's infrastructure next it reinforces its transmission grids alongside Kenya. Kenya Power, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL) and Rwanda Energy Group Limited (REG) have completed negotiations and established an interconnected transmission to facilitate the trade.
  • High Charcoal Prices Hit Poor Households Kenya

    KENYA, 2014/12/06 Households using charcoal for fuel have been hardest hit by high prices over the completed one and a half years, with the four-kilogramme tin costing above Sh70 over the period. Most affected are poor households in urban areas which usually use charcoal and kerosene for cooking and lighting, respectively. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the 4kg tin cost an average of Sh73.47 in October, remaining above Sh73 for the sixth consecutive month.
  • Kenya Power Invest Sh96 Million in Kakamega Power Upgrade

    KENYA, 2014/11/10 Power supply in Kakamega is expected to improve as Kenya Power conducts a massive operation this weekend to rehabilitate power equipment and network serving the County at a cost of Sh96 million. Managing Director Ben Chumo says the exercise will ensure that the electricity network serving Kakamega County is robust and power supply consistent, to support efforts to minimise power outages occasioned by both planned and unplanned outages. Chumo said the Company will replace 620 wooden poles with 60 concrete poles and refurbish 20 distribution transformers in the county.
  • Govt to Pitch Energy Projects At Investment Forum in Kigali

    KENYA, 2014/11/05 The government will leverage an upcoming Kigali forum to attract investors and expertise in the energy and infrastructure sector, according to the chief of the energy utility body. Kigali will next week host the iPad Power and Infrastructure Investment Forum, which is expected to attract about 200 energy experts and investors from across the globe.
  • Garissa Town to Be Lit Up Kenya

    KENYA, 2014/06/16 Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam yesterday launched the setting up of 21 high-mast floodlights to improve security in the town. Jama said the Sh48 million project is expected to be completed by end of next month. He said tcriminals have been taking chance of lack of lighting in the town to commit criminal activities. "This initiative will automatically beef-up security within our neighborhood," said the governor. Last week, a grenade was hurled at a garage near the place where the governor launched the project. The governor urged residents to be vigilant and statement any criminal activities to the police.
  • African energy environment seems rather dynamic at present

    BOTSWANA, 2013/07/02 Cross Border Data’s African Energy Atlas 2013 has just come out. What does is tell us about the continent’s energy reserves, production and next prospects? This annual publication is largely comprised by a selection of maps detailing everything from major continental rail and road connections, patterns of political risk, energy infrastructure, country-by-country power supply, oil and gas reserves and downstream hydrocarbons markets. Maps are drawn/updated annually by ‘journalist mapmaker’ David Burles and an introductory piece describes the process of production as requiring the application of investigative techniques to obtain even the majority basic data. Data on the continent’s energy environment has been built up using “not only maps, but as well press releases, news statement and good old-fashioned journalistic legwork”.
  • AfDB approves $115m for power transmission project between Ethiopia, Kenya

    ETHIOPIA, 2013/01/18 African Development Bank (AfDB) has recently approved $115m, a third round of loans to finance the construction of a cross-border electricity transmission line project between Ethiopia and Kenya. In September 2012, the bank has approved $348m in funding for the same electricity highway project, which calls for an investment of $1.26bn. The project is due for commissioning in November 2017.