KenGen Ramps Up Hydrogeneration for Stable Electricity Costs

By Samuel Ouma

Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) has increased hydropower generation in response to a noteworthy spike in water levels at the Seven Forks Cascade.

This move follows the achievement of some of the highest water levels in the country's major dams, demonstrating KenGen's proactive approach to leveraging abundant water resources for increased energy output.

In a statement, the firm attributed the remarkable success to the outstanding performance of Masinga Dam, the largest in Kenya.

It noted that in the past three days, the dam has consistently maintained water levels close to the maximum at 1,056 meters above sea level (mASL).

“We are happy to report that we are receiving very good inflows from the Mount Kenya and Aberdares catchment areas which has led to high water levels at our dams,” said KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Eng. Peter Njenga.

He added, “This will see Kenyans reap the full benefit of cheaper electricity.”

The company said its operational boost at Seven Forks has been remarkable over the last 24 hours, with the power stations producing a peak output of more than 471MW, which will help to stabilize grid-scale electricity costs. 

Amid rising water levels, KenGen reassured Kenyans, particularly those living downstream of the five dams, that they do not expect water to spill downriver anytime soon.

“Despite getting close to the maximum water levels at the Masinga Dam, which is our biggest, we have not reached spilling level thanks to a robust water management program being implemented by our engineers. However, we remain vigilant and will issue an alert should we envision a potential water overflow from the large dams," Eng said. Njenga.

KenGen stated that it had observed reduced inflows over the last week, providing additional assurance that Masinga Dam will only reach the spilling level for a while.

Eng. Njenga promised that KenGen will generate competitively priced and reliable electricity to power Kenya's next phase of economic growth.