- The proposed Epra service code further restricts the cumulative duration of unplanned power outages to 80 hours per year.
- Available figures show that an average customer experienced 44.9 unplanned outages in the year ended June 31, 2023.
Electricity and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) plans to limit the number of times a power outage hits a customer to 20 per annum. Available figures show that an average customer experienced 44.9 unplanned outages in the year ended June 31, 2023.
The proposed EPRA service code restricts the cumulative duration of unplanned power outages – System Average Interruption Duration Indicator (SAIDI) – to 80 hours per year. Customers are currently on a blackout for about 115.73 hours annually.
Furthermore, to ensure that unplanned blackouts last as briefly as possible, EPRA wants Kenya Power to improve from the current average duration of four hours and 52 minutes for each outage.
The proposals in the code restrict the duration of each blackout – Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) – to a maximum of four hours. Also, EPRA mandated Kenya Power to shift to the new targets within one year of adopting the distribution code.
As disclosed by EPRA, the targets will be further improved to a maximum of 15 unplanned blackouts each year, 45 hours of unplanned outages annually, and a maximum duration of just three hours per outage after five years. These rules, however, do not affect planned outages that generally occur after the power utility firm issues notices.
Meanwhile, firms are intensely lobbying Kenya Power to compensate them for financial losses, equipment damage, physical injuries, and death due to unplanned power outages. Kenya Power offers compensation for injuries and damaged kits but does not compensate domestic and business customers for financial loss resulting from blackouts.