Gov’t Bets on Renewable Energy for Economic Growth

Kenya has committed to fast-track the deployment of renewable energy as a driver for economic development in the country.

The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Energy Monica Juma, said that the move will help attract foreign investments in Kenya’s energy sector.

“It is always a befitting moment to witness the glowing recognition that Kenya continues to receive for promoting the generation of clean and renewable energy,” said the CS.

The Energy CS also revealed that the government has launched a campaign to ensure that all Kenyans use clean cooking by 2028.

Speaking during a visit by the CS, Rebecca Miano, KenGen Managing Director and CEO said that the electricity producer is committed to ensuring steady and reliable supply of competitively priced electric energy to support Kenya’s economy.

“The company is doing this by accelerating deployment of renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, wind and solar.” said Miano.

The CEO reiterated the company’s commitment to support the Government of Kenya’s ambition to achieve 100 percent utilization of renewable energy by the year 2030 as a way of fighting climate change.

Recent statistics recently indicated that the demand for electricity in Kenya hit a new record peak of 2,036MW, the highest ever recorded in the country’s history, marking a significant resurgence in demand since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

“We are at an advanced stage of construction of 83MW Olkaria I unit 6 and we expect this to be added to the grid between December this year and early next year,” said Miano, adding, “this will further push our green energy portfolio and help drive down the cost of electricity in Kenya by displacing thermal energy.”

At the same time, the country recorded a new energy gross demand peak of 36,381MWh mostly drawn from renewable energy sources as the economy responds positively to the lifting of some of the COVID-19 related restrictions.

National energy generator, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), contributed to the largest jump in renewable energy share with the company scaling up production in its geothermal, hydro and wind power stations to meet the growing demand.

About 86% of KenGen’s installed capacity of 1,818MW comes from renewable and clean energy sources.