Electricity bill set to drop as KenGen injects 79MW into the National Grid

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) announcement of adding an additional 79 MW of electricity to the National Grid has raised hope among consumers that electricity bills will decrease. Environmentalists also laud the announcement as it is a positive step forward for Kenya in generating of clean energy. These additional 79MW of power is expected to increase KenGen’s geothermal output into the national grid to a total of 612MW. Olkaria V power unit is also expected to generate 158MW at full steam. The 79MW of electric power will be injected once Unit II of the generator is synchronized into operation by the end of August. Over the past few years, to cater for Kenya's growing energy demands, KenGen has developed an energy mix that comprises of Hydro at 819.9MW, Geothermal at 612 MW, Thermal at 53.5MW and wind at 25.5MW. In an aim to attract more investors to the country, last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to ease the burden that consumers face in paying electricity. These new additional geothermal power is thus expected to lower electricity bills in Kenya as it is not only cheaper to generate but also non-weather reliant. About 70 percent of Kenya’s electricity installed capacity is from renewable sources therefore, making the country among the global top producers of clean energy