Ethiopia units top Kenya’s record electricity imports

Addis Ababa, April 6, 2023 (FBC) – Kenya’s electricity imports hit a historic high in January due to a drought that hit local hydro-power generation.

According to the Daily Nation, the country imported a record 68.48 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in January.

It is stated that up to 39.73 million units or 58.01 per cent was imported from Ethiopia after the two countries inked a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the evacuation of cheaper hydro-power from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

It is to be recall that Kenya in January officially started importing 200 megawatts (MW) of cheaper power from Ethiopia, after a trial run in November, which has helped stabilise the power supply.

Accordingly, Kenya has a 25-year electricity import deal with Ethiopia that will see Kenya Power take up a maximum 200MW from the GERD in the first three years, rising to 400MW for the remaining period.

Additionally, the country is buying Ethiopian power at 6.50 US cents per kWh, which is significantly lower than the tariffs charged by independent power producers.

In the financial year that ended June 2022, Kenya Power bought 26.46 per cent of its electricity from hydro sources.

Kenya has 16 main hydro dams supplying the country’s power including Kiambere, Turkwel, Gitaru, Masinga, and Kamburu among others.