Electricity retailer, Kenya Power plans to cut grid losses while innovatively growing its revenues, according to the managing director.
It plans to cut down the current losses of about 22.4 per cent to 15.5 per cent saying this will enhance system efficiency, improve customer experience and drive revenue growth.
The innovations include the on-going pilot programme of the smart utility poles (smart poles), which will support high-speed Internet connectivity.
Kenya Power’s MD Joseph Siror, said the poles would provide an alternative for deployment of last mile data networks through wireless technologies.
“This will provide a solution to telecom service providers to improve data coverage and capacity, as well as address the challenge of signal dropouts,” Siror said.
He spoke at the opening session of the inaugural Kenya Power Grid Conference in Nairobi.
The forum brought together engineers to discuss challenges facing the grid and offer innovative solutions.
The conference is dubbed ‘Innovating for Sustainable and Quality Grid Service’.
It aims at providing knowledge sharing and management through presentation of current operating environment, challenges experienced and probable solutions.
Siror said the limited flexibility to adequately support the growing customer base; increased system losses, vandalism and lowered customer experience owing to a lack of quality power supply are among the key challenges.
“These challenges call for innovative and sustainable solutions that will see us enhance the capacity of our grid in order to tap into the new growth frontiers while at the same time offering excellent service to our customers,” he said.
He said Kenya Power is committing Sh40billion for strategic network expansion and maintenance in the 2023-24 financial year to improve the power infrastructure countrywide.
Siror said Kenya Power would put in Sh26 billion while the Sh14 billion balance will be donor funded.
Areas targeted include increasing sales through new connections and strengthening the efficiency of the network to adequately serve the growing electricity demand.
The company is also in discussion with the Ministry of ICT to develop a framework for the realisation of the government’s digital economy agenda.
“With our wide network and fibre capacity, we intend to provide infrastructure for Internet connectivity targeting public institutions such as schools and hospitals at a favourable cost,” Siror said.
