Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) has announced an increase in hydropower production to stabilize the cost of power in the country. KenGen attributes this boost to the highest water levels reached in the Seven Forks Cascade.
Eng. Peter Njenga, the Managing Director and CEO, highlighted that the surge in production is primarily attributed to Masinga Dam, which has consistently maintained water levels near the maximum of 1,056 meters above sea level (mASL) for the past three days.
“We are happy to report that we are receiving very good inflows from the Mount Kenya and Aberdares catchment areas which has led to high water levels at our dams,” Njenga said.
He went on: “This will see Kenyans reap the full benefit of cheaper electricity.”
KenGen also highlighted a significant operational enhancement at Seven Forks in the last 24 hours, with the power stations achieving a peak output exceeding 471MW. The power-generating company reassured residents living near the dams that there would be no spillage.
Njega mentioned that reduced inflows have been observed over the past week, providing additional assurance that Masinga Dam is not expected to reach its spilling level soon.
“Despite getting close to the maximum water levels at the Masinga Dam which is our biggest, we have not reached spilling level thanks to a robust water management program being implemented by our engineers.
“We however remain vigilant and will issue an alert should we envision a potential water overflow from the large dams,” he said.
