- KNBS said the country’s electricity imports from Ethiopia and Uganda rose to 706.9 million kWh in the first 11 months of 2023, up from 288.27 million kWh in 2022.
- Kenya’s installed power generation is about 3,078MW, while the total effective interconnected capacity is about 2,925MW.
Despite increased demand, Kenya has exceeded double its electricity imports from neighbouring countries. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) disclosed this in a new economic report released last Friday. KNBS said the country imported 706.9 million kWh of electricity from Ethiopia and Uganda in the first 11 months of 2023. This value rose from 288.27 million kWh in a similar period in 2022. According to KNBS, the bulk of the power imports, 546.5 million kWh, were sourced from Ethiopia during the period.
This bulk of the power imports made Ethiopia emerge as Kenya’s biggest electricity supplier in the region. Ethiopia displaced Uganda from its position as Kenya’s top source of power imports for years. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) disclosed that Kenya Energy Transmission Company (KETRACO) recently completed the 500kV Ethiopia-Kenya interconnector line, enabling Kenya to import cheaper hydropower. The line will facilitate regional power trade in eastern Africa.
EPRA expects power imports from Ethiopia to rise by 200MW over the next three years, increasing the import capacity from the country to 400MW. Kenya’s installed power generation is about 3,078MW, while the total effective interconnected capacity is about 2,925MW. As stated by EPRA, the system peak demand averages 2,057MW while the average available capacity is 2,035MW, necessitating the imports.