POWER AFRICA IN KENYA

 

Kenya Energy Sector Overview

The Government of Kenya has set forth its “Vision 2030,” a program to transform Kenya into a “newly industrializing, middle-income” country. Yet, Kenya has 2,150 MW of generation capacity to serve its population of more than 43 million, which constrains economic growth. Kenya is believed to possess more than 7,000 MW of undeveloped geothermal energy resources in the Rift Valley. Wind (see transactions below) and biomass energy are also significant potential sources for power generation. Power Africa is helping Kenya reduce reliance on expensive diesel-fueled generation and other high-cost fossil resources.

Kenya aims to increase generation capacity by 5,000 MW by 2016 and by 23,000 MW by 2030. The Government of Kenya is focused on sustaining a stable investment climate for private-sector participation in energy, developing expanded transmission and distribution networks to deliver power to customers, maintaining a creditworthy off-taker, maintaining cost-reflective tariffs, and reducing inefficiency in the sector to support more affordable end-user tariffs.

Power Africa Support

In Kenya, Power Africa is supporting the development of the energy sector through financing, grants, technical assistance, and investment promotion. Power Africa is working to mobilize more than $1 billion in private investment for electricity to accelerate geothermal and wind projects.

Central to the work of Power Africa in Kenya is the Grid Management Support Program (GMSP). GMSP is providing, technical assistance to address key challenges of integrating intermittent renewable energy into the national grid. The Grid Management Support Program (GMSP) has four components: (1) a renewables integration study, (2) systems operations gap analysis, (3) training and twinning with utilities with significant wind power penetration, and (4) revising the transmission and distribution grid codes. 

Power Africa is also helping major infrastructure investments advance and is demonstrating the effectiveness of U.S. technological solutions.

Beyond the Grid

Power Africa/Kenya is focused on using such innovative solutions as the USAID Development Credit Authority to connect rural Kenyans to the electricity grid, and is actively supporting small on-grid power generation projects, as well as projects to provide off-grid and mini-grid solutions for small communities.

In partnership with General Electric, the African Development Bank, and others, Power Africa awards grants for innovative energy projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Power Africa Contact for Kenya

Mark Carrato
Email: mcarrato@usaid.gov

Power Africa Coordinator

Andrew Herscowitz
Email: powerafrica@usaid.gov
Follow on Twitter: @aherscowitz

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