Safaricom Aims to Be Kenya Power's Latest Meter Installer

Posted on : Tuesday, 16th November 2021

According to Reuters, the telecommunication filed a proposal with utility Kenya Power for the installation of smart meters with the purpose of reducing non-revenue electricity and enhancing grid monitoring and management.

 

The 330,000 smart meters, transformers, and feeders that Safaricom is planning to install will see USD 651.23 million in return on investment over a period of 8 years, of which Safaricom plans to take 75 per cent and provide Kenya Power with 25 per cent.

 

Safaricom claims the smart meters will help the utility to reduce annual power system losses of 23.46 per cent on its transmission network, which are above the global benchmark of 15 per cent, by 8 per cent points within 2 years.

 

The IoT-enabled smart metering system will allow Kenya Power to respond to grid changes in near real-time, a development that would help improve customer services and increase consumer energy efficiency.

 

The smart units are expected to help the energy company to prepare for future business cases that are reliant on digital solutions. However, while utilities in developed economies, including in Europe and North America, have been actively deploying smart metering, the opposite has been true for companies in Africa.

 

However, increased funding, the collaboration between stakeholders and the enactment of supporting policies is critical to accelerate the adoption of advanced meters in Africa and to create momentum.

 

Earlier this year, Kenya Power announced that the utility is installing some 55,000 units for small and medium enterprises as part of an USD 11.2 million project funded by the World Bank.

 

Commenting on the benefits of smart meters, Bernard Ngugi, managing director of Kenya Power, said the system “prompt network problem identification, and audit of energy consumption will go a long way in enhancing service delivery to our customers in the SME sector”.

 

“We believe that the advanced metering technology will further enhance customer satisfaction based on the visibility and prompt detection of power usage and also reduce technical losses which are key to ensuring reliable and quality supply of power.” Bernard Ngugi added.

 

Kenya Power is currently reviewing Safaricom’s proposal internally.