Water Governance is crucial to achieving Energy Sector goals
By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Engagement Officer, KCSPOG
Published in the Standard Newspaper on 20th November 2020
An often-forgotten link is the role that water plays in the attainment of current and future energy sector development goals. Globally, countries are moving towards renewable energy to replace fossil fuels like oil and gas. In Kenya, which is generating enough electricity locally to meet domestic demand, renewable energy accounts for over 85 percent of locally generated electricity. This positions it as a leader in the renewable energy sector in the African continent. Water is among the most common sources, coming only second to geothermal. In 2019, Hydroelectric power accounted for approximately 29.3 per cent of total installed capacity within the country, and 27.6 percent of locally generated electricity. As it remains an enabler to the government’s overall development agenda the government is currently implementing projects that seek to increase the quantity of hydroelectric power generated within the country and increase installed capacity by 93 megawatts between 2018 and 2022.
The need to transition towards renewable sources of energy such as hydropower has been enshrined in current energy legislative frameworks, regulations and policies. These frameworks elaborately capture issues relating to: institutional frameworks for efficient and sustainable production; development of local capacity; international cooperation; and utilizing energy sources for power generation and transportation, among other key issues. The sector is however required to adhere to stipulations under the Water Act, 2016 on water use and other relevant sector regulations. It is for this reason that water governance issues remain at the heart of the development of the energy sector, and the sustainability of Kenya’s energy transition.
Other than the ready supply of electricity, there are vast opportunities that come with the installation of hydroelectric generation plants. Multipurpose dams established for power generation have been found to have numerous benefits for communities and regions in their environs. For instance, Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station, Turkwel Dam, located in West Pokot Country which is known to be drought prone now serves several domestic functions for local communities, majorly irrigation and fishing. Beyond its domestic use, the Power Station has been feted for its economic benefit being recognized as a tourist site and for its ability to supply water to the ongoing oil and gas project in Turkana County.
It is envisioned that in coming years demand for electricity in Kenya is likely to rise for multiple reasons. Kenya seeks to increase the contribution of manufacturing activities, which are extremely power intensive, to Gross Domestic Product to 15 per cent by 2022. In addition, with the country looking to move towards cleaner sources of energy as is envisioned in the National Climate Change Framework Policy, 2016 the proportion of households connected to the grid is likely to increase in coming years. Hydro power provides a low cost solution to meeting the increased domestic demand for power occasioned by these developments.
However, the development of the hydro-power sub sector is not without its limitations and therefore water governance and environmental monitoring principles must still apply. While Kenya seeks to increase the generation of hydro-power to meet electricity demand, it hopes to decrease dependency on the renewable source to 5 per cent by 2021. This is because it is viewed as not steady enough as the key baseload energy provider due to its vulnerability to climate shocks.
The development of hydroelectric power, like other infrastructure projects, still has unintended environmental and social consequences despite the power density for such projects being significantly lower than those relating to fossil fuels, thus emitting less greenhouse gases. Specifically, on water quantity, while for communities surrounding the dam it may serve multiple domestic purposes, there are instances such as the case of Turkwel Dam, where construction resulted in the river drying up downstream. Relating to water quality, water storage in such reservoirs tends to result in changes to both the physical and chemical composition of water. This could potentially limit its use thereafter. Finally, occasioned by the increase in precipitation in the region, residents in the environs of Turkwel, Masinga and other power producing Dams are often forced to relocate as a result of the potential overflow of dams.
Despite the fact that geothermal energy remains the most sustainable base for power generation in the country, it is likely that Kenyans will continue to rely on hydroelectric energy to attain broader social and economic development goals for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it is important that key players in water resource governance work in collaboration with those working in environmental management and the energy sector to ensure energy security and accessibility is attained in order to meet growing demand that comes with development.