Kenya eyes renewable energy milestone with blueprint

Kenya has promising potential for power generation from renewable energy sources. [iStockphoto]

Stakeholders in the country's electricity sector have unveiled a new blueprint to enable Kenya to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

The announcement comes ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt between November 6 and 18.

Under the aegis of the Electricity Sector Association of Kenya (Esak), they said the move is in line with the global climate agenda of preserving the environment.

"In line with the current administration's agenda on introducing reliability and affordability of power, we commit to encouraging the sustainable development of the Kenyan electricity sector through collaboration, advocacy and data-driven solutions, as a result maintaining investor confidence through a predictable and stable business environment,'' said Esak Chairperson George Aluru.

''This is even as we build the value chain and grow demand by attracting global industrial investors looking to accelerate their sustainability agenda by leveraging Kenya's existing 90 per cent renewable electricity grid. This will position Kenya as a leader in the green industrial revolution".

Besides building a value chain for renewable energy and maintaining investor confidence, the lobby has also announced enabling policies and regulations in enabling the blueprint towards achieving 100 per cent renewable energy in the country.

A recent energy statistics report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) shows that Kenya has promising potential for power generation from renewable energy sources.

Following a least-cost approach, the State has prioritised the development of geothermal and wind energy plants as well as solar-fed mini-grids for rural electrification.

Esak has outlined grid enhancement as part of measures to drive the renewable energy agenda. The lobby proposes the building of national transmission lines, regional interconnections and enhancing grid stability to enable full utilisation of renewable energy resource potential.