Electricity prices are set to increase by Ksh4.16 under the new revised charges by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).The new charges, as seen by Kenyans.co.ke on September 20 under the Gazette Notice dated September 18, apply to all meter readings taken in September; thus, households and businesses will notice them on their next power bills.The biggest chunk is the Fuel Energy Cost Charge of Ksh3 per unit, which covers the cost of fuel used by thermal power plants such as Kipevu III and Rabai.“Pursuant to Clause 1 of Part III of the Schedule of Tariffs 2023, notice is given that all Prices for Electrical Energy specified in Part II of the said Schedule will be liable to a Fuel Energy Cost Charge of Plus 300 Kenya cents per kWh for all meter readings to be taken in September 2026,” the notice stated in part.Next is the Foreign Exchange Fluctuation Adjustment of about Ksh1.14 per unit, which cushions power firms against shilling swings and is tied to Ksh1.32 billion in exchange costs.The smallest is the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) Levy of 1.48 cents per unit, charged because hydropower plants such as Gitaru, Kiambere, and Turkwel use water to generate electricity.Put together, the three charges add up to about Ksh4.16 per unit; thus, a home using 100 units a month pays roughly Ksh4.16 in these charges alone.In a separate notice, EPRA amended the 2023 tariff schedule, ruling that customers generating their own renewable power under net metering will be credited for only half the power they export.Anyone who feeds electricity into the Kenya Power and Lighting (KPLC) network without approval, a practice now defined as dumping, will be billed for that power at the applicable base tariff.Domestic customers will also be grouped into three bands based on their three-month average use: up to 30 units, 30 to 100 units, and 100 to 15,000 units.Electric vehicle charging customers will pay Ksh16 per unit, or Ksh8 during off-peak hours.This comes as Kenya Power is slowing the connection of new wind and solar projects, citing concerns over grid stability and rising consumer costs as intermittent renewable energy surpasses recommended capacity levels.Variable renewable energy accounts for more than 21 per cent of grid capacity, while wind and solar supply 34 per cent of peak daytime demand. Their fluctuations require costly backup generation and complicate grid management.Kenya Power is requiring new wind and solar projects to include battery storage capable of providing three to four hours of backup, while prioritizing geothermal and hydroelectric power.
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