Nairobi — Kenya Power has assured electric vehicle (EV) investors that it has enough energy capacity to meet demand from clean cars.
It said that its grid network is extensive to support transition from fuel-powered vehicles to EVs.
"The Company has consistently invested heavily towards the expansion of the grid's capacity and its automation to accommodate the exponential growth in demand for electricity and to improve the flexibility of the grid and, in turn, the quality of power supply," said Kenya Power's acting Managing Director Geoffrey Muli.
Muli was speaking during the opening session of the company's inaugural e-mobility conference in Nairobi today.
The event attracted more than 300 participants drawn from the private and public sectors, to develop a roadmap for electric motorization in the country.
Over the last five years, the power-firm has invested more than Sh40 billion in grid expansion and refurbishment projects.
Currently, the grid covers about 300,000 kilometres in circuit length of high, medium, and low voltage networks, serving over 9.1 million customers.
Additionally, the country has an installed capacity of 3,321MW against a peak demand of 2,132MW. During off peak, which happens late in the night, the demand drops to about 1,100MW.
Over the last three years, approximately 90 percent of the electricity dispatched to the grid comprises of clean energy generated from hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind.
Charging electric vehicles especially at night would, therefore, help bridge the gap between off-peak load available generation capacity as well as raise the average demand to above 1,500MW, making e-mobility more environmentally friendly end to end.
"We have established a liaison office which acts as our one-stop shop to champion the Company's emobility business," the MD said.
"Through this office, we are working with investors and stakeholders to support the development of the e-mobility ecosystem, which entails the identification of sites for potential charging stations and developing requisite geo-mapping software to enable users to locate the nearest charging station," he added.
Through its subsidiary, the Institute of Energy Studies and Research (IESR), the company is undertaking a multi-stakeholder project supported by the European Union to analyse the impact of charging infrastructure on the national grid.
The data will be used to develop strategies for management of growth in electricity demand driven by E-mobility.
The project also aims to deploy 15 e-motorcycle charging and swapping points at existing petrol stations in Nairobi with the possibility of extending it in Kisumu.
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The firm is in the process of hiring a consultant to guide the development of an E-mobility Network Infrastructure System (ENIS) to pilot the electric vehicle charging stations, both for company use and demonstration purposes.
During the current financial year, Kenya Power has set aside Sh40 million to purchase three electric vehicles and to construct three electric vehicle-charging stations within Nairobi.
The Company plans to phase out its entire fleet of 2,000 fossil fuel-powered vehicles within the next 4 years through retrofitting electric engines on existing vehicles as well as the purchase of new electric vehicles.
In order to accelerate investments in E-mobility, the Company has submitted a proposal for an E-mobility tariff to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which is currently undergoing public participation.
"The demand for electric-powered vehicles is expected to accelerate in the coming years with increased awareness of the benefits of e-mobility. We see this as an organic opportunity for us to support the country's green agenda and to drive demand for electricity, especially at night to bridge the gap between off-peak load and available generation capacity," said Muli.
