Generators set to stabilise electricity supply in Nairobi
Two gas-fired generators with a combined capacity of 60 megawatts have been relocated from Mombasa to Nairobi in an effort to boost electricity supply in the capital.
In a statement, the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) which runs the machines said that the relocation was necessitated by the commissioning of additional power generators located at the coast which has seen supply in the region exceed demand.
“The relocation has also enabled the government to discontinue some of the more expensive emergency power supply in Nairobi implying the move will offer some relief to power consumers in the country.
“The turbines are doing pretty well and will play a key role in stabilising power supply in Nairobi,” said Richard Nderitu, KenGen’s operations director.
Last month, energy principal secretary Joseph Njoroge told the parliamentary committee on energy that the government has ended its contract with Aggreko, a UK emergency power producer for the supply of 90 megawatts of emergency electricity to the national grid.
According to Kenya Power annual report for the financial year ended June 2013, Nairobi region accounts for over half of Kenya’s total demand for electricity.
The region has in the recent past suffered power outages leading to outcry from both individual consumers and manufacturers.
And in a bid to address customer concerns, Kenya Power is undertaking a project to secure the electricity distribution infrastructure within Nairobi against vandalism by installing underground cables.