Nairobi, 28th March 2024... Kenya Power has launched a back-up National Control Centre to safeguard the security of electricity supply across the country. The backup control centre, located at the Coast, will provide an alternative power dispatch point in case of failure of the main National Control Centre. Additionally, the facility will serve as a training centre to boost power system operators' capacity and technical skills.
The backup facility has been set up at a cost of KShs.50 million financed by a grant from GIZ under the Power System Readiness for Integration of Variable Renewable Energies (VRE) project that is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
“Our grid is expanding rapidly with increased customer numbers and this calls for the deployment of strategic initiatives that are meant to secure and strengthen the quality of power supply. The backup national control centre is one such initiative that we have undertaken,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director & CEO, Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror.
He added, “we are also focused on strengthening the network through refurbishment of the existing infrastructure and construction of new lines to provide alternative supply points to our customers to minimize power outages.”
A National Control Centre is a facility where electricity from various generation sources is dispatched to consumers across the country. The dispatch is guided by a merit order that considers various factors such as cost and demand.
It is considered a best practice and also a requirement of most Grid Codes across the world for electricity utilities to operate backup national control centres, to secure the reliability of their power supply.
With the commissioning of the backup national control centre, Kenya becomes the first country within the East African Community to comply with this requirement.
Other countries in Africa that operate backup national control centres include South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Egypt.
About Kenya Power
The Kenya Power and Lighting Company Plc (Kenya Power) is a publicly listed company, and the country’s only electricity off taker that transmits, distributes and retails power to customers throughout Kenya.
In the period between 1922 to date, Kenya Power has extended its transmission and distribution network across the country, covering over 306,00 kilometres. As at December 2023, the Company had over 9.5 million accounts and had enabled over 76% of the country’s population to access the national grid.
The Company’s vision is to be Kenya’s energy solutions provider of choice by sustainably supplying quality and reliable service to power people for better lives to support the country’s socio-economic development using innovation and leveraging on technology.
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