Kenya projected to Meet its energy needs from Renewable Sources by 2030

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has said that Kenya is on course to realise its decarbonisation commitment by going 100 percent green by 2030.

The energy transition aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by decommissioning thermal plants and making investments in renewable energy, promoting clean energy cooking, energy efficiency, electric mobility and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Global Energy Regulatory Energy Transition Accelerator (RETA), at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) meeting in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, Mr Daniel Kiptoo said that the installed capacity of renewable energy sources as of June 2024 was 2,859.4 MW, accounting for 80.04% of Kenya’s total installed capacity.

This consists of 2,427.1 MW of interconnected renewable energy capacity and 427.7 MW of captive renewable energy capacity and this is expected to keep growing based on measures being put in place.“With every lapse of a thermal plant, the energy deficit is being met with the coming on board of new and green energy projects like the planned rehabilitation of Kenya’s oldest geothermal power plant, Olkaria 1 .

The power plant output will be increased from 45 MW to 63MW,” he said in a panel discussion themed, ‘ Regulators in the driving seat – How to align all stakeholders in the race to net zero?’.Mr Kiptoo said Kenya has issued a raft of tax incentives to unlock the electric mobility sub-sector across all vehicle classes with priority being public service vehicles, two and three-wheelers that contribute up to 13 percent of Kenya’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The Director General added that as part of the World Bank-funded GREEN program, Kenya plans to install its first 100 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) this year, with plans underway to expedite the development of an additional 250 MW BESS by 2026.

Scheduled on the margins of the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting, the 15th Clean Energy Ministerial and 9th Mission Innovation meeting also received a policymakers’ guide which represents the first effort of a Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) campaign titled “Empowering Regulators to Tackle Decarbonisation,” which aims to prompt dialogues between governments and regulators across the world, working proactively towards international decarbonisation objectives.

RETA brings together 60 regulatory authorities globally with Africa being represented by Kenya and Cameroon.