The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Wednesday, received a licence to monitor manufacturing companies to determine whether renewable electricity is used to manufacture goods.
EPRA was issued the licence by the International Tracking Standard Foundation, the founder of I-REC (I-TRACK Foundation), an international body that provides standards for developing attribute-tracking systems.
The regulatory authority will henceforth act as the local I-REC(E) Issuer but act in a way that is transparent, fair, and equitable to all market players.
“EPRA has the responsibility of confirming to interested parties that electricity from renewable energy sources has been used in the production of goods and services,” a statement from EPRA read in part.
The monitoring of businesses is due to growing interest across the world by individuals and organisations to embrace climate change mitigation measures.
As such, most buyers of goods exported from Kenya are keen to know if they were produced through environmentally sustainable energy sources.
After being satisfied that the goods have been manufactured using renewable energy sources, EPRA will provide an International Renewable Energy Certificate (I-REC).
This will represent transferable proof that electricity was produced from renewable energy sources.
Before EPRA was issued with the licence, the certification was done by the Green Certificate Company (GCC).
“The government of Kenya has prioritized the scaling up of renewables in the country intending to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030,” the I-TRACK Foundation explained one of the reasons EPRA was handed the certification powers.
“Kenya has adopted the I-TRACK Foundation’s I-REC(E) as its Energy Attribute Certificate which will be adopted and implemented without restrictions,” the Foundation added.
EPRA is mandated with the generation, importation, exportation, transmission, distribution, supply and use of electrical energy except for licensing of nuclear facilities.
Additionally, it is granted powers on the importation, refining, exportation, transportation, storage and sale of petroleum and petroleum products except for crude oil.
