Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the government is determined to bring down the cost of power through pragmatic solutions that will benefit the country.
He said the Kenya Kwanza administration is focused on laying down interventions that will speed up the restoration of the economy.
Gachagua spoke on Thursday in Nakuru during a groundbreaking for the construction of the Menengai Geothermal Power Project.
"In the short time we have been in office we have deliberately revived initiatives like the Menengai Power Project to revive the economy through reduced cost of power," he said.
Gachagua said they have done so through deliberate, pragmatic interventions that are aimed at transitioning the country to green energy.
"We are determined to bring the cost of power down for all domestic users and manufacturers," Gachagua said.
The Menengai Geothermal Power Project is worth Sh18 billion and is set to be completed by May, 2025.
Gachagua said the project will see an additional 35MW of power to the national grid.
"The project will translate to lower cost of power and ultimately reduced cost of living," he said.
Gachagua said the reduced cost of power is a catalyst for Kenya's development pillar under manufacturing which will not only reduce the cost of production but also accelerate job creation.
The DP said the state has taken time to study the challenges in the energy sector and is rolling out recovery measures to enable it to make better contributions to economic recovery.
With natural calamities such as the recent drought that heightened challenges in the energy sector, Gachagau said geothermal is the best option that will save the nation from similar troubles in the future.
"We ride on the fact that green energy is more reliable than fossil fuel or hydropower even in times of catastrophes like in the recent drought which substantially reduced the volumes of water in our rivers," he said.
He said the investment in geothermal power will help in a faster transition to green energy and meet energy demand in the country.
"Geothermal power alone contributes 45.5 per cent to the national grid. This means we are on track to meeting our power demand which keeps rising at the rate of 3.1 per cent annually," he said.
The project pushes Kenya closer to the target of 100 per cent transition to renewable energy. Currently, at least 87.42 per cent of the country’s power is green.
Gachagua challenged the project implementers to ensure people are employed and allowed to exercise their skills through the project.
“The people living around this place must benefit from the project. We have many skilled people who can easily contribute to its implementation,” he said.
