Households should not expect power rationing or higher electricity bills in the near future despite biting drought that has reduced hydro power generation, Kenya Power said yesterday.
The utility firm said there is an electricity reserve of 27.11 per cent from its energy mix, which will supplement the shortfalls.
This is based on the effective generation capacity of 2,250 mega watts against a demand of 1,640MW.Kenya’s installed capacity stands at 2,327MW.
Acting chief executive Ken Tarus allayed fears that continued drop in water levels in Masinga Dam are expected to reduce the hydro-power contribution to the national grid, which might result in decreased energy supply after the failed October-December rains.
“Even with the hydrological conditions that we are experiencing at the moment, we do not foresee any possibility of carrying out power rationing. Get it from us – we are not about to carry out any power rationing,” Tarus said during a breakfast meeting with manufacturers in Nairobi.
He assured Kenyans that power bills will not go up despite an increase in the fuel cost charge caused by the increase in fuel prices.
On Tuesday, the Energy Regulatory Commission in its monthly review, raised the price of diesel by Sh5.03 per litre.
State-owned electricity producer KenGen has switched on diesel-run generators for expensive thermal electricity to supplement hydro-electric power.
This has pushed the fuel cost charge to $2.85 cents (Sh2.95 ) per kilowatt hour from $2.31 cents (Sh2.39 ) per kilowatt hour in December.
“That is a marginal increase and we do not expect that will provide any cause for alarm by way of increase in prices,” Tarus said. However, he said state energy agencies are in talks to cushion consumers from possible higher costs of thermal production, which may to be passed on to customers. “We are looking at the possibilities that increase in FCC can be contained in the short-term before the hydrological conditions improve. The government can come in and ensure that no tariff increase is effected as a result of this,” Tarus said.
Manufacturers who consume 60 per cent of the country’s electricity will be the most affected. Households will also be hard hit as they might carry the burden of higher cost of production and generation.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers chairlady Flora Mutahi said: “They (KPLC) have promised this shall not happen, and there are plans to cushion us from high bills. So for us we can only take it as a commitment”.