Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Authority (EPRA) has been nominated to join the global renewable energy promoter Renewable Energy Transition Accelerator (RETA). This will give it firsthand access to clean investment resources and the latest renewable technologies.
In a statement, the Renewable Energy Transition Accelerator (RETA) said EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo will chair the 13-member Steering Committee for the next two years. RETA enhances the capacity of regulators to fasttrack clean energy transition plans by facilitating collaboration between clean energy investors, energy equipment manufacturers and clean energy knowledge.
On RETA’s steering committee, EPRA, now on its second term, is joined by Cameroon’s Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSEL), ARESEP of Costa Rica, CRE of France, ERC of North Macedonia, ERC of Thailand, NURC of St. Lucia, OEB of Ontario, Canada and Ofgem from Great Britain. The World Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency and the International Energy Agency are permanent members.
Kenya currently generates up to 85% from geothermal, wind, solar and bioenergy resources of its energy needs. This has ranked her among the best performing countries globally. The government aims to achieve a 100% clean energy transition by 2030.
Over the last one year, the country has heavily invested in its transition to renewable energy, registering 84.93% of energy supplied to its national grid being obtained from renewable energy sources. Geothermal energy maintained its dominance, meeting 44.55% of the total energy generation with hydro and wind generation accounted for 22.54% and 14.30% respectively. Additionally, utility-scale solar generation contributed 3.54% to the country’s overall energy needs.
RETA’s priority areas are promoting flexible, renewable-based systems, regulatory frameworks to deliver the energy transition, network planning for wide scale electrification, regional interconnection and fair and inclusive energy transition.
Acknowledging his appointment as Chair of the steering committee, EPRA DG Kiptoo said, “EPRA is committed to steering the adoption of renewable energy from generation to end-use in Kenya. We have been fostering information exchange and establishing a sound regulatory framework to pave the way for clean energy adoption. Through RETA, we can collectively share knowledge and resources to expedite clean energy transition for a sustainable future for all.”