President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed three bills into law namely the Urban Areas and Cities (Amendment) Bill 2017, the Petroleum Bill 2017, and the Energy Bill 2017.
CapitalFM reported that the new energy law among other things proposes the establishment of three key national energy entities to manage and regulate energy resources in the country.
The law establishes the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority will be mandated to regulate generation, importation, exportation, transmission, distribution, supply and usage of electrical energy with the exception of licensing of nuclear facilities.
It will also be required to regulate the importation, refining, exportation, transportation, storage and sale of petroleum and petroleum products with the exception of crude oil. Read more: Kenya Power deploys meter testing to boost service delivery
Furthermore, the regulation will also be required to manage production, conversion, distribution, supply, marketing and usage of renewable energy.
Rural Electrification Programme
Meanwhile, the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation shall be responsible for among other things to oversee the implementation of the rural electrification programme, manage the rural electrification programme fund and also source for additional funds for the rural electrification programme and renewable energy.
The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency will under the new law be mandated to propose policies and legislation necessary for the successful implementation of a nuclear power programme.
The agency would among other things be required to undertake extensive public education and awareness on Kenya’s nuclear power programme.
Source: Esi-Africa.com
