- A total of 6,805.28 GWh of power was generated in the period under review.
- Renewable energy sources dominated, constituting 84.93% of the total energy generated.
Energy consumption by electric vehicles and bikes increased by a record 160 per cent in the six months to December 2023, an indicator of increased use of e-transport.
Latest Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) data shows the energy consumption by the new consumer category increased from 29,097 kWh in July to 75,729 kWh in December.
The regulator attributed the increase to the government's drive to de-carbonise the transport sector.
"This has sparked a growing interest in e-mobility in a country whose energy mix is highly conducive to supporting the segment, with almost 85 per cent of energy generation sourced from renewable channels," EPRA says.
It adds that continued adoption of e-mobility is anticipated to elevate the country’s energy demand, particularly during off-peak periods, historically characterised by low demand.
Further, in a move to encourage the embrace of electric transportation, the regulator implemented a special tariff for e-mobility effective from 1st April last year.
Nevertheless, the regulator also released the electric vehicle charging & battery swapping infrastructure guidelines in September.
The guidelines sought to provide a concise summary of essential considerations for setting, designing, installing and operating electric vehicle charging points and stations.
During the review period, 2,694 electric vehicles (EVs) were registered, bringing the cumulative number of registered EVs to 3,753.
EPRA attributes the increase to government initiatives such as the introduction of the e-mobility tariff, reduction of excise duty on EVs from 20 to 10 per cent, and exemption of fully electric cars from Value Added Tax (VAT).
As of December last year, the regulator says EVs constituted 1.62 per cent of vehicles registered that year, with the country aiming to reach five per cent by 2025.
This is outlined in the Kenya National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy, 2020.
The report further highlights that a total of 6,805.28 GWh of power was generated in the period under review.
Renewable energy sources dominated, constituting 84.93 per cent of the total energy generated.
Geothermal held its position as the primary source, contributing 44.6 per cent to the overall energy generated.
Hydro followed with 22.5 per cent, while wind and solar accounted for 14.3 and 3.5 per cent, respectively.
Electricity imports contributed 6.2 per cent (419.13 GWh) to the total energy mix.
The highest monthly energy generated was 1,158.9 GWh and 1,154.2 GWh recorded in July and August 2023 respectively.
Conversely, the lowest figures during the review period were 1,114.3 GWh in November and 1,109.5 GWh in December 2023.
"The decline in November is attributed to two national blackouts on November 11th and 24th, while the lower figure in December is linked to reduced industrial activities during the festive period," the regulator says.
Large commercial and industrial customers dominated energy consumption by consumer category in the period under review.
They consumed 2,706.62 GWh, accounting for 51.99 per cent of total consumption.
The category consists of consumers supplied at medium and high voltage or at low voltage with a monthly usage surpassing 15,000 kWh including large and medium industries and factories, high-rise buildings, warehouses and public infrastructure installations such as airports, ports and railway stations.
Domestic consumers followed, consuming 1,599.33 GWh. This accounted for 30.72 per cent of the total energy consumption edging out small commercial enterprises, which utilised 843.04 GWh, accounting for 16.19 per cent of the overall electrical consumption.
Street lighting utilized 56.48 GWh of electrical energy, representing 1.09 per cent of the total energy consumption.