NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 23 – The Electricity Sector Association of Kenya (ESAK) in collaboration with Res4Africa has estimated over 400MW of installed captive power generation capacity in Kenya.
This is according to a baseline study on Captive Power Generation(CPG) in the country.
The study reviews and documents the captive generation activities occurring in Kenya and seeks to reveal a baseline for understanding and planning.
Speaking on Thursday during the launch, Geoffrey Ronoh, head of the ESAK Commercial & Industrial(C&I) said that captive generation cannot be ignored because the contribution is significant.
“Over 400MW in captive power is not small at all, this is a clear indication of the new energy consumption trends in the country, captive generation cannot be ignored anymore, the contribution is significant,’’ Ronoh said.
From the estimated total installed capacity, 36 percent of it is solar PV, bio energy at 30 percent fossil, hydro and geothermal account for 23,10 and 1 percent respectively.
The study notes that most of the power is installed in the agriculture sector while metal and allied come in second.
The captive power industry has been propelled by inadequacies in the electricity supply to industries and establishments as well as the growing need to ‘green’ productive industries.
Juliana Kainga, ESAK vice chairperson said that achieving 100 per cent clean energy transition in Kenya is their main goal as an association.
“C&I sector is big on the adoption of green technologies which is where the country is headed,” Kainga stated.
Res4Africa Secretary General, Robert Vigotti said that the joint initiative will provide an important contribution towards unlocking the immense potential of Kenya’s energy sector.
“We aim at shedding light on the current status of the captive power sector and identify the opportunities and challenges that lie therein, such an endeavor will provide valuable insights for policymakers, investors and customers in Kenya,” Vigotti said.
According to the study, the size of Kenya’s CPG within the C&I and small commercial sectors is significant enough to warrant recognition.
Voltage dips resulting in brown outs, cost of grid electricity has seen establishments look for alternatives that allow them to manage the cost of electricity.
These factors have seen the installation of captive generation mainly solar photovoltaic plants but also other technologies such as mini-hydros and bioenergy.
According to the study, Nairobi leads in solar PV installations followed by Nakuru while Kakamega records the highest bioenergy capacity owing to sugar mills.
A recent study dubbed Missing Link by RES4Africa on electricity markets ranked Kenya highly in openness, attractiveness and readiness.
This they attributed to multiple waves of reforms to attract new investments, improve competition, and progressively open the electricity supply industry to private companies.
The baseline findings will be updated yearly to allow for a database monitoring of the sector trend as well as a guide on policy.
