Kenya’s national grid hit a new historic peak this year as electricity demand surged past 2,300 megawatts (MW). Data from Kenya Power’s National Control Centre shows a system peak of 2,362.28 MW recorded on 23 July 2025, with the state generator later confirming a marginally higher peak of 2,363.41 MW on 5 August 2025. Grid operators and generators scrambled to respond by ramping up hydro and geothermal output; there were no widespread, planned load-shedding events reported during the latest peaks.
What Happened
The immediate trigger was a rapid rise in on-grid consumption: more households and businesses are connecting to the grid and using more electrical appliances during the cold season. Kenya Power itself reported 401,848 new customer connections in the financial year that ended 30 June 2025, a major contributor to higher demand. Utilities also point to accelerating adoption of electric cooking and pilot EV charging as rising-use vectors.
Why This Matters
Kenya’s generation mix and available capacity mean the margin between supply and peak demand is getting thinner. On days of peak demand in 2025, the system has been operating with relatively small reserves, which tightens options if a plant or transmission line trips.
KenGen, the largest generator, reported it had to lean on both hydropower and geothermal plants to meet peak needs and said geothermal and hydro performance helped stabilize the system during recent surges.
What’s Driving the Surge
- New Connections and Electrification: Mass rollout programs and last–mile connectivity have brought hundreds of thousands of households and enterprises onto the grid in the past year, lifting base demand.
- Seasonality and Behaviour: The cold season raised consumption for space heating, hot-water, and indoor use across multiple regions, contributing to the July peak.
- Electrification of Services: Government and donor-backed e-cooking programmes, plus pilot EV chargers, are nudging households and institutions to substitute electricity for wood or LPG, a long-term demand positive.
- Industrial and Digital Growth: Industrial activity, manufacturing expansion, and a growing data-centre market in East Africa are adding concentrated loads. Data centres in particular can produce localized spikes in electricity needs.
System Resilience and Risks
The system has handled the recent peaks largely through dispatch flexibility more hydro where water allows and geothermal baseload but historical outages highlight vulnerability. In September 2024, Kenya suffered cascading outages after a transmission line tripped and the Ethiopia-Kenya high-voltage link also failed, producing a partial grid collapse that temporarily left large areas without power.
Regulators and system operators have repeatedly warned the country needs more “firm” capacity and grid modernization including storage and stronger transmission to safely absorb more variable renewables and the rising load. Operating close to capacity limits increases the frequency and severity of grid balancing actions.
What the Sector Is Doing
- Short-term: Generators (KenGen and independent power producers) are adjusting dispatch schedules, increasing hydro and geothermal where possible and importing power under regional exchange contracts.
- Medium to Long-term: KenGen and the Ministry of Energy are fast-tracking geothermal drilling, hydro upgrades, and grid projects. The national energy compact emphasises new geothermal, wind, and solar capacity plus storage and grid upgrades. Utilities are also piloting battery storage and digital controls to improve balancing.
Implications for Consumers and Businesses
- For households: Higher system demand does not automatically mean immediate outages, but it raises the probability of contingency measures (planned rationing or emergency load management) on tight days and could put upward pressure on costs if expensive peaking power is used.
- For industry and investors: The power trend signals both opportunity and risk. Growing, reliable demand supports more industrial projects and data-centre investment but businesses sensitive to interruptions will continue to invest in captive generation, storage, or hybrid systems until grid reliability improves.
Also read: KETRACO Begins Power Transmission from Ethiopia to Tanzania via Kenya
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Why is Kenya’s electricity consumption hitting record highs?
Mainly because of new customer connections, increased household electrification (like e-cooking), industrial growth, and seasonal cold-weather demand. - Is Kenya generating enough power to meet the rising demand?
Yes, for now but the margin between supply and demand is narrowing, which poses risks if a major plant or transmission line fails. - Which energy sources are keeping the lights on during peak demand?
Hydropower and geothermal remain the backbone of Kenya’s grid, with imports from Ethiopia and some thermal plants providing backup. - Does higher demand mean more blackouts?
Not necessarily, but it does increase the risk. When reserves are tight, even small technical faults can cause widespread outages. - What is the government doing to address this surge?
KenGen and the Ministry of Energy are expanding geothermal drilling, upgrading hydro plants, and introducing storage and transmission projects to strengthen the grid. - How does this affect consumers?
Consumers may face higher costs if expensive thermal power is used to fill gaps, and the risk of rationing rises when demand outpaces available supply. - What role do electric vehicles and cooking play in demand growth?
They are emerging contributors. EV adoption is still in early stages, but e-cooking is expanding rapidly under government and donor-backed programs, both adding significant long-term demand.