This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
Kenya's hydropower supply has received a boost following heavy rains that have filled up dams, easing the uptake of expensive thermal power.
According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the total units purchased from hydropower plants with capacity equal to or above 1 megawatt (MW) was 298.804 million kWh in November, up from 242.245 million kWh in May.
The improved performance of hydropower stations is attributed to the filling up of the dams, with the Sondu Miriu and Gitaru plants making a comeback among major hydropower contributors.
Sondu Miriu sold 42.5 million units last month, while Gitaru sold 80.4 million units, compared to dispatches of 20.2 million units and 45.9 million respectively in May.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter noted that the dams had hit close to 100 percent capacity in the last week of November, which has helped to reduce the country's reliance on expensive thermal power.
Whenever hydro generation falls due to drought, households are forced to fork out more in their power bills as the country falls back on thermal power, which is more than twice as expensive.
