The plant will be commissioned on Friday by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

 

Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the area is already producing 210mw of the expected 280mw.

 

He said the 210mw has been pumped into the national grid from Olkaria I and IV power plants ahead of the commissioning.

 

The CS said plans are underway to replace diesel power as it is expensive.

 

"We expect to add an additional 70mw to the national grid by next month, which will help reduce use of diesel," he said.

 

Chirchir was speaking at the weekend during a tour of the Olkaria IV power plant accompanied by Energy PS Joseph Njoroge and Kengen managing director Albert Mugo.

 

He said the government will carry out a study to determine Kenya's power demand.

 

Chirchir said the study aims to determine how much power is needed against a rise in demand and a drop in power charges.

 

He said power supply currently stands at 2,000mw and will rise to 2,300mw in December against a demand of 1,500mw.

 

TheCS said that between July and August, the cost of power had dropped by 20 per cent.

Source : www.allafrica.com