How Kenya Power Plans to Reduce Energy Loss

Kenya Power on Tuesday confirmed ongoing initiatives to further enhance power system loss reduction measures in its electricity distribution network countrywide.

The Company has developed a strategic medium-term Loss Reduction Initiative Programme, geared at lowering technical and commercial losses in transmission of electricity, from 21% to less than 15% in line with global operating benchmarks.

Power system losses comprise both technical and commercial components. Technical losses occur when electrical energy is dissipated in the process of transmission and distribution.

Commercial losses are mainly attributed to pilferages, faulty meters and meter tampering.

Speaking at the opening of the Future Energy East Africa Conference and Expo at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) this morning, Kenya Power General Manager for Business Strategy, Eng. Thagichu Kiiru, said the firm has deployed a robust software system to identify and segregate system losses.

The digital system dubbed the Energy Balance Module, is a software that detects areas with high energy losses within the power supply network.

“Other initiatives under the strategy include deployment of smart metering infrastructure, load analysis to identify technical losses across the network, installation of low-loss transformers and reactive power compensation,” Eng. Kiiru.

He said the firm, is implementing the initiatives to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the distribution of electricity.

“Some of the challenges we have in delivering affordable energy to our customers can be attributed to the fact that generation is growing faster than the transmission capacity to evacuate the generated power to the load centres,” Eng. Kiiru said.

“To manage system losses, the Company has developed the three-year Loss Reduction Initiative Programme as a means to improve operational efficiencies,” he said.

The initiative also aims to catalyze investment in clean energy generation, transmission, and distribution as well as other related infrastructure in Kenya.

Efforts to reach more customers, Eng Kiiru said, have placed increased pressure on the power system, resulting in higher energy losses.

“The programme hinges on the successful implementation of an ongoing project to identify and segregate losses using Energy Balance Module, a software that detects areas with high energy losses within our network” Eng. Kiiru highlighted.

Technical losses result from power lines, older equipment or obsolete technology (“losses through the wires”), whereas commercial losses stem from unauthorized energy usage, fraud, and operational challenges.