Heavy rainfall slashes December power bills 6.4pc

The recent heavy rainfall that raised water levels in Kenya’s hydroelectric dams cut electricity prices by up to 6.4 percent, offering little relief on households’ monthly bills.

The increased water levels reduced the use of expensive thermal power to record lows, cutting the fuel surcharge in December electricity bills to Sh2.65 per kilowatt hour (kWh), from Sh3 the previous month and Sh3.75 in May.

The Sh0.35 a unit drop in fuel surcharge — which is determined by the share of thermal power in the national electricity grid — is the largest cut since August 2018.

But impact on consumer bills was little felt with homes consuming 50kWh spending Sh778 in December, down from Sh834 when the rain started in September, reflecting a drop of 6.4 percent.

Homes that consumed 200 units saved Sh225 when December bills of Sh4,515 are compared with September bills of Sh4,740, a drop of 4.7 percent.

Kenya Meteorological Department had forecast the wet weather to persist until end of this week.

“We have not had the need to run the hydro’s and we are likely to sustain Fuel Cost Charge at that level. We will need to utilise the dams more prudently to sustain the fuel levy at the level it is or lower,” Energy Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge told the Business Daily.