NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum is urging lawmakers to lift the moratorium on new Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), according to Cabinet Secretary (CS) Opiyo Wandayi.
The move is part of a broader strategy to stabilize the nation’s electricity supply after a string of disruptive power outages, with the most recent blackout affecting much of the country yesterday.
In a statement, the Ministry explained that the outage was triggered by a trip on the 220kV high-voltage transmission line at the Suswa substation, cutting off 288MW from the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) plant.
The situation worsened when the Ethiopia–Kenya 500kV interconnector, which was carrying 200MW, also tripped, causing a total loss of 488MW. This accounted for about 27pc of the country’s total electricity demand at the time.
Kenya Power, the country’s main utility firm, has not signed a new PPA since 2020 due to a moratorium imposed by Members of Parliament earlier this year.
Lawmakers paused these agreements after concerns arose that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were driving up consumer costs with expensive electricity supplies.
However, with demand for electricity hitting record highs of 2,177MW, the Energy Ministry believes that more PPAs are crucial to addressing Kenya’s growing energy needs.
CS Wandayi is now calling for the moratorium to be lifted to allow new agreements with IPPs, which currently contribute around 10pc of the country’s installed capacity.
The ministry is banking on these producers to help meet the rising demand, especially as Kenya Power’s current contracts are set to expire over the next decade.
In a recent statement, Kenya Power’s Managing Director Joseph Siror pointed out that the nation’s electricity consumption continues to grow, and the utility firm will need to onboard more IPPs to keep up with the surging demand.
In addition to ramping up power production, the Energy Ministry is investing in infrastructure upgrades to make Kenya’s electricity grid more resilient.
A series of projects, including the repair of the Loiyangalani–Suswa transmission line and upgrades to key substations, are underway to ensure a more flexible and reliable grid.
One of the flagship projects, the Gilgil-Thika-Malaa-Konza 400kV line, aims to complete the Nairobi Ring to ease congestion at the Suswa Complex, a crucial node in the nation’s power grid.
Additional lines like the Turkwell-Ortum-Kitale and Nanyuki-Isiolo are also being developed to improve grid stability across different regions, with a focus on ensuring that energy can be efficiently distributed to underserved areas.
The ministry is also working on boosting base load generation from geothermal and hydro sources.
These more reliable energy types will help safeguard Kenya’s energy security, ensuring there are adequate reserves to handle fluctuations in demand.
