The government is planning to spend a total of Ksh 799.2 million to complete 137 energy projects in South Nyanza.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said the projects which are being undertaken by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) and KenGen are expected to connect 18,022 new customers to the national grid upon completion.
“This will be a significant move towards providing clean, efficient, reliable, and affordable energy to the citizenry,” said Wandayi.
Among targeted projects include the upgrade of Gogo Falls in Migori County by KenGen, from the current capacity of 2MW to 8.6MW.
Wandayi said the upgrade is part of government’s efforts to ensure green transition.
He said that even though renewable energy sources of wind, solar, hydro and geothermal account for 80pc of the national energy mix, the desire for 100pc transition to green energy by 2030 requires sustainable exploitation of the existing potential to bridge the gap.
“It is out of this realisation that we purpose to capitalise on the potential of sites such as Gogo among many other renewable sources to meet the demand,” he said.
Wandayi said with accelerated connectivity to the national grid comes the need for safety of the users. He said he had launched a multi-sectoral nationwide safety campaign dubbed Kaa Safe Mtaani aimed at ensuring safe use of energy.
“We need to be weary of the potential dangers posed by electricity and gas, and therefore, proper usage and storage are important comments to consider in this journey,” he added.
He was speaking at Gogo Falls during his maiden visit to the KenGen run plant.