KaunganaDoDo wrote:https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business-news/article/2001406253/state-pushes-for-review-of-power-deals-to-cut-costs
KPLC and the Government( National Treasury, AG and MOE) have started the process of renegotiation of PPAs with aim of saving Billions of shillings per year
Can Kenya Power even with help of Kenya-1 wiggle itself out of PPAs? Kenya-1 at the beginning of his term paid Anglo leasing for delivering air to avoid negative credit rating before hitting the Eurobond market. Magufuli bulldozed his way in Tanzania to re-negotiate power PPAs..Kenya-1 is a "internation law respecter" i don't see him doing this.
1. In 2016 Energy ministry had a PPA review task force that "advised the government to let the contracts lapse on their own" to avoid paying heavy termination penalties.
IMHO the GoK should let some of this PPAs ran out e.g Tsavo (Kipevu 2) 74 MW expires September 2021. Kipevu 1 60 MW expires 2023. 54 MW of Embakasi Gas turbine expire in 2021. Iberafrica 56 MW expired in 2019 The Kibaki/Kiraitu era negotiated thermal PPAs will be a real pain as they ran until 2035.
2. In 2021 Energy minister appoints another PPA review task force that is cancelled within hours (presumably the 'right' names were missing in the task force) only for President to appoint another PPA task force with same brief as in 2016 to give report in 6 months.
Why set up another task force in 2021 while there was another same same task force in 2016?
3. In 2012 World bank warns Kenya Power not to sign an onerous PPA with LTWP. “
We believe that the take-or-pay provisions in the PPA between LTWP and KPLC would expose Kenya Power to unacceptably large financial risk given the possible curtailment,” That has come to pass - The swahili will say sikio la kufa haliskii dawa. If the LTWP generates 300MW at 2a.m when country is asleep and nobody needs that power you will pay for it...and wind power makes the grid unstable i.e depending on blowing wind you can move from 300MW to 100MW
4. Ormat (olkaria III - 150Mw) is under
investigation in USA for possible corruption on it's PPA deals as it is paid at a much higher price/Kwh than KenGen's geothermal...
could it be KenGen doesn't know how to negotiate for a good deal? Could also this investigation in USA be triggering the renewed PPA renegotiation energy?