Kenya Power, which trades under the KPLC ticker, announced its strides towards going green by investing in charging stations as well as electric vehicles.
In a press statement on Tuesday, September 27, the power distributor noted that it set aside Ksh40 million for the exercise.
The funds will aid in the purchase of three electric vehicles (two pickups and one four-wheel drive) on a pilot basis.
It will also be utilised to construct three electric vehicle-charging stations within Nairobi, both for the Company’s use and demonstration purposes.
Kenya Power’s Acting Managing Director, Engineer Geoffrey Muli, noted that the new investment marks Kenya Power's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
“Kenya Power intends to substantially reduce its carbon footprint by purchasing more evehicles in the near future, including two-wheelers and three-wheelers. We must play our rightful role to combat global warming by championing mitigation measures such as adoption of electric motorisation,” he stated.
Speaking at the Swedish Embassy during the launch of electric motorbikes by Roam Motors, Eng. Muli added that in the medium term, the Company will also purchase 50 long-range electric bikes as part of its plan to phase out fuel-powered motorbikes within its fleet.
Roam is locally assembling e-motorbikes with a range of 180 Kms using two batteries, and it costs Ksh66 to charge each battery.
Kenya Power recently finished piloting 13 electric bikes in conjunction with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which were being used by meter readers and revenue collection team. The major impediments have been reliable battery storage and lack of after sales service.
The e-mobility industry is taking shape within the country with more than 1,000 electric vehicles currently on the roads. Being a key player in the electricity value chain, Kenya Power intends to play an active role in driving the uptake of electric vehicles.
“With an installed electricity capacity of 3077 MW and an off-peak load of 1100 MW, Kenya has enough power to support the entire e-mobility ecosystem,” Muli added.
The electric-vehicle rollout across the country, both in the public and private sector, places Kenya ahead in the African Continent's efforts to go green.
