Kenya’s Energy Regulatory Commission is about to update power grid code to integrate renewable energies. British consultant Nexant is in charge of undertaking the revision.

“The grid code review will address historical challenges and aid tapping into regional power pools. What we have at the moment has been overtaken by events and it is not adequate to address challenges associated with additions of renewable energy”, said ERC’s director Joseph Ng’ang’a.

The code’s revision will be financed by US Agency for International Development (USAID) under a support program for power management, and managed by US initiative Power Africa.

The reviewed code should accelerate development of new capacities and allow their absorption by national grid. It should be effective by 2017-beginning and will stipulate separate rules for transmission and distribution activities so as to improve the system’s efficiency.

Kenya plans to boost its power capacity to 5,000 MW by 2017, by absorbing renewable energies.

Gwladys Johnson