Kenya Power Warns Against Rapid Growth of Wind, Solar in National Grid

Kenya, 11 August 2026 - Kenya Power has raised concerns over the growing share of variable renewable energy (VRE) in the national electricity grid, warning that uncontrolled expansion of wind and solar generation could undermine grid stability and increase the cost of electricity.

The utility said the intermittent nature of wind and solar power makes it difficult to maintain a stable supply because their output can fluctuate sharply depending on weather conditions.

According to Kenya Power, VRE sources currently account for 34% of the energy mix during the day’s peak demand of 1,900 megawatts (MW) and 36 per cent during low-load demand of about 1,200MW.

The company said sudden drops or increases in wind and solar generation force the grid to rely on other power sources to maintain a balance between supply and demand.

Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO Dr Joseph Siror said global benchmarks point to VRE accounting for about 15 per cent of a grid’s total firm capacity,but Kenya’s current power purchase model has pushed the share of VRE above 20 per cent.

“Given the intermittent nature of wind and solar, we have no option but to dispatch and pay for generators, increasing the overall cost of power,” Dr Siror said.

He said Kenya Power is currently forced to dispatch additional generation plants at extra cost whenever VRE output changes significantly, a situation that ultimately affects consumers through higher electricity costs.

The utility urged policymakers and industry players to give greater consideration to the cost of maintaining grid stability when adding new renewable generation capacity.

Kenya Power said greater investment in stable baseload sources, particularly geothermal and hydropower, would help cushion the grid against fluctuations from intermittent renewable sources.

The company said Kenya’s current baseload supply consists of geothermal, hydro, power imports and thermal generation, which together account for about 80 per cent of the grid’s energy mix.

It has called for an increase in baseload generation, which it said is more stable and less susceptible to sudden production changes.

Several new baseload projects are expected to add capacity to the grid. They include KenGen’s Olkaria I additional 61MW, Olkaria 7 with 80MW, Globeleq Menengai with 35MW, OrPower 22MW and Menengai 35MW.

Other planned sources include 200MW of electricity imports from Ethiopia, the 100MW Paka Silali geothermal project and the 28MW Nabuyole project.

Kenya Power also said plans to raise the level of the Masinga Dam by 1.5 metres are expected to increase electricity generation by about 83 gigawatt-hours annually.

In the longer term, projects in the pipeline include a proposed 300MW LNG power plant, the 700MW High Grand Falls project and the 90MW Karura Falls hydropower project.

Dr Siror said battery storage systems, which are often proposed as a solution to the intermittency of wind and solar power, also face challenges.

“For VREs, the recommendation is to have battery storage systems. However, they would still face a challenge in charging the batteries when the wind and solar dip,” he said.

He argued that the additional costs associated with stabilising intermittent sources should be factored into decisions on new power generation.

“The true cost of VREs is its own cost and the additional power that we pay to stabilise the grid,” Dr Siror said, adding that investments in geothermal and hydropower would provide greater stability and enable the grid to recover when intermittent sources are unavailable.

Kenya’s reliance on VREs is among the highest in the region. Kenya Power cited figures showing VRE shares within the Eastern Africa Power Pool of 10.4 per cent for Egypt, 5.3 per cent for Ethiopia, four per cent for Uganda and 1.2 per cent for Tanzania.

The utility said the challenge is therefore not to abandon renewable energy but to ensure that new generation is integrated into the grid in a manner that maintains reliability while protecting consumers from additional costs.