The electricity distributor says it has been put in a precarious position where it either has to take up the excess electricity or pay for the capacity of the power plants, hurting its finances at a time when its efforts to raise prices have been blocked by Epra.
Kenya Power’s protest that the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) has authorised more power plants to be built despite lack of demand for additional electricity is important but does not go far enough.
The electricity distributor says it has been put in a precarious position where it either has to take up the excess electricity or pay for the capacity of the power plants, hurting its finances at a time when its efforts to raise prices have been blocked by Epra.
So the company wants the power to approve new energy plants taken away from the regulator and handed to a different entity.
But that does not solve the main problem, which is an overzealous building of power plants.
Regardless of which entity approves the construction of new electricity producers, the government must have a comprehensive view of the country’s energy demands and make sure they are met in a prudent manner.
It is shocking that power plants continue to be built in a haphazard manner without regard to the financial burden that will ultimately be borne by taxpayers and consumers.
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