- The programme will evaluate the feasibility of large-scale solar PV, transmission systems and KenGen’s battery storage projects.
- The company is responsible for around 60 per cent of Kenya’s electricity generation.
The World Bank has selected Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) to execute a battery storage pilot project through a programme to increase electricity access. Last week, KenGen announced that it had been chosen as the agency to implement the pilot under the programme “Kenya Green and Resilient Expansion of Energy” (GREEN).
According to World Bank documents, GREEN’s objective is to increase access to electricity in Kenya in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner. This means improving governance of the electricity sector and bolstering the financial stability of Kenya’s state-owned electricity distribution group and Kenya Light and Power Company (KLPC). It also includes improving access to energy in support of the Kenya National Electrification Strategy, which aims to bring power to all communities in the state by 2030.
The programme will evaluate the feasibility of large-scale solar PV, transmission system and battery storage projects. KenGen is KLPC’s counterpart on the generation side and has a generation fleet of around 1.9 GW. The company is responsible for about 60 per cent of Kenya’s electricity generation. Its generation capacity is 86 per cent renewable energy, based on 826MW of hydroelectric resources, 799MW of geothermal energy, and 25.5MW of wind, with the remainder generated from thermal fossil fuels.