Delays in implementing projects to blame for electricity crisis
Kenya could be forced to hire more expensive emergency generators as the country plunges into crippling power shortages that have forced Kenya Power to resort to rationing.
Although consumer prices of power are State-controlled, the prospects of higher tariffs are now much higher because emergency power generators run on expensive fuel.
Excessive use of emergency power, especially with a weakening Kenya Shilling, could drive price upwards uncontrollably.
The western parts of the country will suffer most mainly due to poor rainfall in the Mau catchment area, which has seen flows into the Sondu River dwindle to unprecedented levels.
This has adversely affected the performance of the Sondu Miriu hydro-electric power plant. Sondu Miriu has a capacity of 60MW.
With poor rainfall also affecting production of yet another hydro-power station, Turkwell (70MW), supply to the western parts of the country have been under a great deal of pressure.
The fact that Kenya no longer imports power from Uganda has compounded the problem in that part of the country since the region now relies on power that is generated from the eastern parts of the country.
With investment in transmission infrastructure to western Kenya having fallen below demand for electricity, the incidence of supply interruptions have risen sharply.
Until 2004, Kenya had enough reserves and thermal capacity to take it through critical drought years.
The pressures on the system began with the retiring of the Westmont IPP plant (44MW), the Kipevu steam plant (26MW) and the dismantling of KenGen Diesel Plant (10MW). The sector lost 80MW of capacity.
In June 2006, the country was forced to hire Aggreko to provide 100MW of emergency power using expensive diesel. The understanding was that the plant would be retired in one year.
But because of delays in acquiring a permanent thermal plant, the Aggreko contract was not only extended, but another 50MW was added in August 2008.
The slow pace of implementing energy projects has been a major problem. The Japanese- funded Sondu Miriu project, which started in 1992, was commissioned in 2008, 16 years later.
IberaAfrica’s (50MW) and Rabai Thermal Plant (90MW) were added to the system in October 2009.
But because of failure of the long rains in April May 2009, and a major depletion of water in the Masinga Dam by June 2009, 150 MW of expensive emergency power had to be contracted in September to mitigate power rationing.
Kenya would have avoided the present situation if implementation of projects that have been on the drawing board for in excess of three years had been implemented.
The upshot is that projects that could have been commissioned by now have suffered major delays.
They include Turkana Wind Power (300MW), Kinangop Wind Power (100Mw) and the Athi River-based Gulf Power (84MW)
