NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – The Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has contracted British company Aggreko to provide an additional 140 megawatts of emergency power to cushion the country against effects of the current power shortfall.
Eighty megawatts will be installed in Embakasi area in Nairobi and 60 Megawatts in Naivasha.
“This will bring the country’s emergency power capacity to a total of 290 megawatts. “The existing emergency power capacity of 150 megawatts is installed at Embakasi (110 megawatts) and Eldoret (40 megawatts),” a statement from the firm said.
The move which follows a competitive bidding process in which nine companies participated is meant to mitigate the impact of poor hydrology on the country’s hydropower generation capacity.
“The use of emergency power will help us to better manage the remaining water resources in the Seven-Forks,” said KenGen Managing Director Edward Njoroge.
Power rationing was introduced early this month after insufficient rainfalls severely reduced water levels in Kenya\’s dams, affecting hydroelectricity generation.
Under the twelve-month contract signed on Tuesday, the emergency power will be generated using fossil fuel.
Aggreko is expected to make available 40 megawatts out of the 80 megawatts at Embakasi by the end of September 2009.
The remaining 40 megawatts in Embakasi and 60 megawatts in Naivasha will be available in October this year.
In addition, tenders for the supply of the fuel for the new emergency generators which were sent out recently were publicly opened on Tuesday at 11:30 am at KenGen’s Stima Plaza office.
“The evaluation of the bids is underway,” the statement said.
Mr Njoroge and Aggreko’s Managing Director Kash Pandya signed on behalf of their respective companies.
Also present during the signing ceremony was Kenya Power and Lighting Company’s Managing Director Joseph Njoroge.
