Kenya Electricity Generating Company

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Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC
KenGen PLC
TypePublic Liability Company
KN: KEGN
Industry Electric power
Founded1 February 1954;69 years ago (1954-02-01)
FounderGovernment of Kenya
Headquarters,
Area served
Kenya
Key people
Julius Migos Ogamba, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Eng. Peter Njenga,
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Revenue KSh.44.110 billion/= (30 June 2020)
KSh.18.377 billion/= (30 June 2020)
Total assets KSh.412.927 billion/= (30 June 2020)
Total equity KSh.211.318/= (30 June 2020)
OwnerGovernment of Kenya
Number of employees
2,600 (17 November 2023) [1]
Website http://www.kengen.co.ke/

Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC [2] abbreviated to KenGen, is a government enterprise in the Republic of Kenya charged with the production of electricity for the country. KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating over 60% [1] of the electricity consumed in the country.

Contents

Overview

KenGen relies on various sources to generate electricity, ranging from hydropower, geothermal, thermal and wind, with hydropower being the leading source of electricity.

The company owns 30 hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 825.69 MW, four thermal power plants generating 256 MW, seven geothermal power plants with a generating capacity of 713.13 MW and one Wind power plant at Ngong producing 26 MW, for a combined generating capacity of 1,817.82 MW. [3]

Presently KenGen operates five major geothermal power plants with 12 installed units, namely: Olkaria I, Olkaria II, Olkaria I unit 4 and 5, Olkaria IV, Olkaria V. 16 wellhead plants with 21 installed units. [3]

The Olkaria geothermal power stations are located in Nakuru County within the Hell's Gate National Park bordering Lake Naivasha within the Great Rift Valley.

History

The company was founded on 1 February 1954 as the Kenya Power Company (KPC) and was commissioned to construct the transmission line between Nairobi and Tororo in Uganda. This was to transmit power generated at the Owen Falls Dam to Kenya. KPC was also tasked to develop electricity generating facilities in the country. [4]

KPC was managed by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company under a management contract. In January 1997, the management of KPC was formally separated from Kenya Power as a direct result of reforms being undertaken in the energy sector and the entire economy. [4] Subsequently, on 19 January 1998 the company changed its name from Kenya Power Company to Kenya Electricity Generating Company. The trading name KenGen PLC was also adopted at this point. [5]

In 2006, KenGen was listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange after the Government of Kenya sold 30 percent of its stake in the company through a successful initial public offering that received over 280,000 applications. [4]

Ownership

KenGen currently has 6,594,522,339 shares. The stock of Kenya Electricity Generating Company is listed on the NSE, where it trades under the symbol: KEGN [3]

Kenya Electricity Generating Company Stock Ownership
RankName of OwnerPercentage Ownership
1 Government of Kenya 70.00
2Others30.00
Total100.00

List of power stations and installed capacity

See also List of power stations in Kenya

Current capacity

The current capacity of KenGen's power stations are;

Hydroelectric

Geothermal

Thermal

  • Kipevu I Diesel – 60 MW [6]
  • Kipevu III Diesel – 115 MW [6]
  • Muhoroni Gas Turbine - 55 MW

Wind

Future projects

KenGen plans to increase it installed capacity to 721 megawatts by 2025.[ citation needed ]

Geothermal

  • Olkaria I Unit 6 – 70 MW – Completion Year: 2022 [20]
  • Eburru Project – 25 MW – Completion Year: 2016 [17]
  • Olkaria VI – 140 MW – Completion Year: 2016/17 [21]
  • Olkaria VII – 140 MW – Completion Year: 2018 [21]
  • Olkaria VIII – 140 MW – Completion Year: 2018 [22]


Wind

  • Wind Power Station: Phase II – 300 MW – Completion Year: 2020[ citation needed ]

Lists

Related Research Articles

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The Kiambere Hydroelectric Power Station is an earth-filled embankment dam on the Tana River near Kiambere, Kenya. It straddles the border of Embu and Kitui Counties in the former Eastern Province. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 165 MW power station. Construction on the dam began in 1983 and it was completed in 1987. The power station was commissioned in 1988. Beginning in 2008 both turbine-generators were upgraded from 72 MW to 82.5 MW. They were commissioned in 2009. US$95 million in funding for the original project was provided by the World Bank. The power station is operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company and is part of the Seven Forks Scheme.

The Olkaria I Geothermal Power Station, also known as Olkaria I Geothermal Power Plant is a geothermal power station in Kenya, with an installed capacity of 268.3 megawatts (359,800 hp).

The Olkaria II Geothermal Power Station also known as Olkaria II Geothermal Power Plant is a geothermal power plant in Kenya, with installed electric generating capacity of 105 megawatts (141,000 hp)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geothermal power in Kenya</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olkaria III Geothermal Power Station</span>

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The Olkaria Area is a region located immediately to the south of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa. It is geothermally active and is being used to generate clean electric power. The region has an estimated potential of 2,000 MW. This is almost double the maximum daily electricity peak demand recorded in 2008/2009 for the entire country.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ngong Hills Wind Power Station</span>

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Despite its high potential for wind energy generation, wind power in Kenya currently contributes only about 16 percent of the country's total electrical power. However, its share in energy production is increasing. Kenya Vision 2030 aims to generate 2,036 MW of wind power by 2030. To accomplish this goal, Kenya is developing numerous wind power generation centers and continues to rely on the nation's three major wind farms: the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station, the Kipeto Wind Power Station, and the Ngong Hills Wind Farm. While these wind power stations are beneficial to help offset fossil fuel usage and increase overall energy supply reliability in Kenya, project developments have also negatively impacted some indigenous communities and the parts of the environment surrounding the wind farms.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olkaria V Geothermal Power Station</span> Kenyan power station

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The Olkaria IV Geothermal Power Station is an operational geothermal power plant in Kenya, with installed capacity of 140 megawatts (190,000 hp).

Karura Hydroelectric Power Station, commonly referred to as Karura Power Station, also Karura Dam, is a planned 90 MW hydropower station in Kenya.

The Olkaria VI Geothermal Power Station, also known as the Olkaria VI Geothermal Power Plant, is a power station under construction in Kenya, with an electric capacity of 140 megawatts. The plant will be developed under a public private partnership (PPP) model, where the state-owned Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) will co-own the power station with a strategic partner.

References

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  16. "Kenya Leaps to Top 7 Geothermal Power Producers Globally". kenyanwallstreet.co.ke, Kenya. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  17. 1 2 "KenGen bets on Eburru for cheaper geothermal power". The Star, Kenya. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  18. "KenGen's Wellhead Technology | KENGEN". www.kengen.co.ke. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  19. 1 2 Kenya, Coastweek. "Coastweek – The most from the coast". www.coastweek.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  20. "Press Release".
  21. 1 2 "KenGen sets ambitious 5-year 580 MW geothermal development target | Think GeoEnergy – Geothermal Energy News". www.thinkgeoenergy.com. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
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