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will do to secure it were incomplete. GRID HYDRO
“They are not convinced about the
reforms,” a source close to the government Kenya Power to meter Kariba Dam water levels
said. All three sources declined to be named
due to the sensitivity of the negotiations. The transformers recede, as generation
source added that the currency was the core
issue. Kenya Power has initiated talks with financiers continues
World Bank loans are often contingent to fund the metering of all its transformers to
upon reforms. It has not outlined any track electricity system loss through theft and WATER levels at the iconic Kariba Dam
demands, but said previously that it was transmission that costs the monopoly over continue to recede but are expected to
“recommending” a more unified, flexible Sh18 bn per year. improve during the onset of the 2020/21 rain
exchange rate. Fuel subsidies and electricity The firm said it had begun engaging season.
tariffs are also being discussed. financiers to bankroll the initiative starting This development, however, has not
Another banking source said the loan from Nairobi where power theft hotspots have adversely affected water available for adequate
could now not be approved until October. been mapped before rolling the project across hydro-electricity generation for both
Nigeria’s finance ministry directed queries the country. Zimbabwe and Zambia, which share the water
to the World Bank. In a statement, the lender Each meter is likely to cost about Sh70,000 body.
said discussions were at an advanced stage, given the estimate that Nairobi’s 10,000 The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a
but confirmed that it had not presented the transformers will be metered at approximately quasi-parastatal that manages the dam, has
loan to its board. Sh700 million. This makes exercise across assured of enough water for power generation,
“Of particular importance are the steps the the country where there are close to 70,000 contrary to speculation that water levels
government is taking to marshal the needed transformers, a multi-bn shilling venture. had reached critically low stages and would
fiscal resources for a pro-poor response to the Kenya Power Managing Director Bernard affect power generation, resulting in renewed
crisis and undertake the reforms that will help Ngugi said the move will reduce and electricity blackouts.
ensure a robust recovery,” the statement said. eventually wipe out electricity theft via illegal ZRA chief executive, Munyaradzi
Nigeria’s policy of supporting the naira has connections as it will be possible to trace the Munodawafa, said water levels at Kariba, the
become more costly since the oil price slide, as source of the power being illegally consumed. world’s largest inland lake by volume, had
it relies on oil for 90% of its foreign exchange. “We are in talks with financiers to meter been dwindling slowly.
It has devalued the naira twice this year, but all transformers to address the losses whereby “The lake level has continued to steadily
the sources said that was not enough for the we will be comparing the power leaving each recede after attaining a peak level this year
World Bank, which wanted fuller reform of transformer with the meter readings from of 481.30 meters on 30 June 2020, with 26.94
the naira policy. all the customers that draw electricity from a bn cubic meters of stored usable water,” said
Nigeria also said it had eliminated fuel particular transformer then we can tell exactly Munodawafa.
subsidies through a “floating” price cap, but where we are losing the power. When all “The recorded lake level last Thursday was
two of the sources said the World Bank felt the transformers are metered, we can reduce the 480 metres, with 24.84 bn cubic metres of
mechanism was not sufficiently transparent. commercial loss to zero,” Mr Ngugi said. stored usable water or 38.3% live storage.”
The ZRA chief said the water level placed
the lake at more than five meters above the

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