Kenya steps up use of clean energy

21 Décembre 2017

Nairobi, Kenya, December 21 (Infosplusgabon) -  Kenyan authorities are subsidizing the price of 6kg LPG cylinder to encourage low income households to use clean energy, a top energy regulator has said.

LPG is the industrial name for liquefied petroleum gas, generally known as cooking gas.

The Acting Director of Energy Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Edward Karanja, on Thursday told the media that the move is also aimed at discouraging those in low income brackets from using paraffin and woodfuel, which he described as dirty fuels which are injurious to human health and destructive to the environment.

''According to the United Nations up to 14,200 Kenyans, mostly women and toddlers die out of complications caused by use of dirty fuel," he said.

Speaking at the monthly announcement of fuel pump prizes in Nairobi, Kinyua said the use of charcoal contributes to the destruction of the environment and air pollution.

''Smoke inhaled by charcoal users is injurious to health,'' he said.

The Government plans to expand the LPG plant in the coastal city of Mombasa to enable more Kenyans access cooking gas. The long term objective is to make clean energy affordable to all Kenyans.

ERC Director General, Pavel Oimeke, said the government wants to increase the number of bottling plants, increase gas consumption and lower the prize of the commodity.

The regulator is also not impressed by the relatively low use of LPG which stands at 6 million gas cylinders in the market.

ERC looks forward to increase the number of gas cylinders to 18 million in the next five years.

Turning to the electricity sub-sector, Oimeke said the commission has launched the 'Time of Use Tariff', meant to provide cheaper electricity rates for heavy consumers - industry and commercial organisations - thereby lowering operational costs.

In the system, the cost of electricity for heavy users is reduced during the 10pm-6am off peak hours. Early evening hours is what the ERC describes as peak hours.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ATP/GABON 2017

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