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Will Kenya meet ambitious 5,000MW electricity plan?

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A geothermal well at Menengai Crater in Nakuru. Kenya is staring at a deadline in production of 4,414 megawatts by next year despite the progress made. PHOTO | FILE 

By NEVILLE OTUKI, notuki@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• Currently, Kenya’s total installed power capacity stands at 2,294 megawatts.
• The country stares at missed deadline in production of 4,414 megawatts by next year despite the progress made
• The Energy ministry is optimistic and maintains that there would be no time overruns despite the glaring delays in the construction of key power projects like coal and geothermal.

The clock is ticking for Kenya as it races to keep its promise to inject an additional 5,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid by next year.

Two years ago, the Jubilee government made an ambitious target to grow the installed power capacity from 1,708 megawatts to 6,708 megawatts to spur industrial growth and light more homes.

With about a year left to the deadline, it has only managed to add 586 megawatts to the grid, including the celebrated additional 280 megawatts of cheaper geothermal power from Olkaria wells in Naivasha between August and December last year.

Currently, Kenya’s total installed power capacity stands at 2,294 megawatts. Will the country, which looks to tap nuclear energy, meet the deadline?

Energy ministry is optimistic, it maintains that there would be no time overruns despite the glaring delays in the construction of key power projects like coal and geothermal, whose turnaround time is about two years from now.

“We are firmly on course,” says Energy PS Joseph Njoroge.

Several projects have run into headwinds, hit by delays in resettling residents occupying the land and financial constraints, bringing home the reality that the country will most likely not realise the set target to inject the remaining 4,414 megawatts by next year.

For instance, the construction of the 981.5-megawatt plant in Lamu was set to start in September and end in June 2017 but will instead commence early next year and be completed by 2019 due to land resettlement row.