Kenya Power, the utility company, intends to harness off-peak capacity to support Kenya's shift towards electric mobility. Kenya boasts an electricity generation capacity of 3,321 MW, with a peak demand of 2,200 MW and a low overnight off-peak demand of 1,100 MW.
Renewable sources dominate Kenya's energy landscape, contributing to over 90% of the electricity generation, including geothermal, wind, hydro and utility-scale solar power. Kenya ranks among the top ten countries globally in installed geothermal generation capacity, emphasizing its strength in the geothermal sector. This exceptionally clean electricity will also be used to charge electric vehicles, aligning with global charging patterns and optimizing Kenya's geothermal plants' capacity while bolstering revenue for Kenya Power and reducing fossil fuel imports.
Kenya aspires to significantly expand its electricity generation capacity, tapping into its abundant renewable energy resources like geothermal, wind and solar. The objective is to achieve a capacity in the tens of gigawatts, targeting key industrial consumers to stimulate economic growth. One prominent sector identified is data centers.
During a visit to the USA, President William Ruto met with several companies in San Francisco, with a focus on data center ecosystems. He invited American technology firms to consider establishing manufacturing operations and regional offices in Kenya, emphasizing the nation's favorable investment environment, economic stability, entrepreneurship, security, innovation, tax incentives, skilled workforce, technological expertise, green energy credentials and robust data connectivity through six undersea fiber-optic cables.
The President engaged with prominent CEOs, including Tim Cook (Apple), Patrick Gelsinger (Intel), Ruth Porat (Google's Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet), Brad Smith (Microsoft COO), and executives from Microsoft, Nike, GAP and Levi Strauss. Notably, Apple expressed interest in establishing a developer's academy and exploring Kenya's green data center potential, while Microsoft recognized Kenya's attractive investment returns and untapped opportunities in connectivity and energy solutions.
Kenya's proactive approach to promoting its green data center ecosystem in Silicon Valley highlights its commitment to sustainable industrialization. Furthermore, Kenya can explore opportunities in green manufacturing, including green steel production using electric arc furnaces powered by 100% renewable energy and adopting electrolysis in the aluminum sector. These initiatives have the potential to boost foreign currency generation through the export of value-added products and reduce the reliance on foreign currency by promoting import substitution.
