Power generation up to record level on demand

Electricity generators increased production to an all-time high of 1,226.3 million kilowatt hours in March (kWh) on the back of rising demand among households and industries.

Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) data shows total units generated and purchased locally rose for the third straight month to hit a record 1,226.3 million kWh last month from 1.223 million kWh in the prior month.

This marked the eleventh straight month that electricity generators, including Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), have recorded monthly production above 1,000 million kWh in response to the rising consumption. The Epra data showing increased production coincides with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics figures that showed Kenya Power electricity sales grew by 8.5 per cent in January to a record 956.76 million kWh.

The first time Kenya Power posted sales above 900 million KWh in a single month was in July last year at 901.78 million KWh and this has been sustained since then except for December.

This points to the rising pace of economic activities in manufacturing and large businesses, and offers a boost to Kenya Power’s revenue from the sale of electricity.

Recently released Epra statistics covering six months to December 2024 showed industrial consumers, including large and medium industries, factories, high-rise buildings, warehouses and public infrastructure such as airports, ports, and railway stations saw a 3.73 per cent rise in consumption to 2,807.10 gigawatt-hours (GWh), accounting for 51.18 per cent of the country’s total consumption.

“This is a 101 GWh increase in consumption compared to 2,706.1 GWh of electrical energy consumed in a similar period last year signalling an increase in industrial activities,” said Epra.

The trend of rising power generation and consumption sales looks set to continue, with Kenya Power data showing that peak demand hit 2,316 megawatts (MW) on February 12 this year— the highest ever recorded in Kenya’s history. This overtook the earlier peak of 2,036 MW that was posted in November last year.

In the six months ended December last year, KenGen accounted for 59.94 per cent of the 7,7177.61 GWh of electricity generated, followed by imports (10.48 percent), Lake Turkana Wind Power (10.24 per cent) and Orpower (5.78 per cent).

The increased demand has cut the country’s reserve margin—the level of unused available capacity of an electric power system— to four per cent, forcing Kenya Power into load shedding to some of the customers.

palushula@ke.nationmedia.com