KPLC is now Kenya Power

 

With time come a change and that is why The Kenya Power & Lighting Company (as was previously known) is now simply, Kenya Power. Kenya Power is Kenya's largest power distribution company that feeds power to all places.

This corporate re-branding has come at a time when the company is undertaking some organization strategies to focus more on the customer and service delivery. I must say that the new logo is as they wanted, neat and clean.

The Logo Design Competition was a nationwide competition that attracted many designers with their unique designs of the logo to be, even me i had mine. This was last year (2010). The deadline came and all who wanted to participate had submitted. Still don't know who won, but congrats to him/her + their runners up. Though it had taken time but still good, worth the delay.

From KPLC website...

KPLC, which will now be known as Kenya Power, embarked on a corporate culture change and rebranding exercise in 2009 with the aim of transforming the distribution network in order to render more reliable and responsive services to customers and to sustain its good financial performance.

 According to Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO, Eng. Joseph Njoroge, the project entailed creation of a new organisational culture, a new logo, and a corporate brand which supports the company’s long term objectives and meets the increasing expectations of its customers.

In a presentation he made to guests during launch of the new brand at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Eng. Njoroge revealed that the company anticipates electricity demand to climb to 15,000 MW by the year 2030 owing to economic growth as envisioned by the government.

Kengen to shut down Emergency Power Generators

The Kenya Electricity Generating Company, KenGen: Kenya's largest power producer is ready to switch off Emergency Power Generators. These power generators were commissioned last year (2009) during the period of acute shortage in power caused by low rainfall and low water levels in the hydroelectric dams.

The Emergency Power Generators which produce 150MWinto the grid, produce power from Diesel fuel resulting in the high electricity costs for Kenyans. The Power Relief cost the government 1.7Billion Ksh and have been running since the commissioning.

The expected switch off of these fuel guzzlers will take place on 6th January 2010.This will mean less power bills in the coming future as the government calls investors to explore the rich energy potential of Kenya. On the other hand, The Kenya Power & Lighting Company, KPLC - The Largest distributor of power, said consumers have been pointing a finger on them blaming them of huge power bills. KPLC has reassured its customers that they have to charge a higher Fuel Levy because of the Emergency Power generators.

A recent survey of the power in Kenya shows that the countries over-reliance of Hydro Power has seen massive shortage of power once the rains falls. It is because of this that Ken Gen has embarked of an expansion of its Geothermal Power at Olkaria, Naivasha.

KPLC opts for Non-Oil based transformers

The Kenya Power & Lighting Company (KPLC) , Kenya's largest power transmission and distribution company, has embarked on an initiative to replace its transformers with non-oil based types. This is in response to rampant vandalism of its convectional transformers.KPLC has ordered for 100 dry type transformers which are to be installed in Kiambu, Nyeri, Thika, Dagoretti Corner, Ruiru, Gatundu, Limuru and Kitengela towns which are prone to transformer theft.

The Reality

According to the firm's Operations and Maintenance manager, KPLC faces losses of  up to Ksh.600 Million per year and economy losses of Ksh.2 Billion.These vandalism cases are mainly transformer oil theft but in recent times they have involved to the entire unit itself! I must say that the thieves have upgraded their business indeed.How the thieves manage to offload the 200kg unit form the poles remains a mystery to me.It would require a crane to do the tedious job.

Kenyan Cabinet approves a 421MW Power Generation Programme

The power shortage in Kenya is set to ease following Tuesday’s move by the Cabinet to approve a major generation programme.

Under the New Planned Power Generation Capacity Programme, six power projects are to be initiated this year.They include:

21MW Songoro Hydropower Project.
10MW Tana Hydropower Project.
5MW Ngong Windpower Project.
80MW Early Geothermal Power Project.
25MW Kindaruma Upgrade.
280MW Olkaria 1 and Olkaria 4.

 “In this regard Cabinet forwards for parliamentary approval the establishment of an escrow guarantee fund for semi-concessional loans for external borrowing by KenGen and Kenya Electricity Transmission Company from EIB and KFW to finance the additional power generation of 421 megawatts,” a statement issued by the Presidential Press Service said.

Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limited - Logo Design Competition

The Kenya Power & Lighting is inviting all Kenyans to participate in designing of a new logo.

THE BRIEF
Come up with a modern, customer friendly logo design inspired by our new Vision, Mission and Values statements below:

Vision
To provide world class power that delights our customers 
Mission
Powering people for better lives. 
Values
Customer First, One Team, Passion, Integrity, Excellence.
The details are as follows...

Corona

Have you ever wondered why high voltage power lines buzz (zszszs sound)? Its because they are producing corona which is interacting with the surrounding air.
 Corona is the process by which current, perhaps sustained, develops from an electrode with a high potential in a neutral fluid, usually air, by ionizing that fluid so as to create plasma around the electrode. The ions generated eventually pass charge to nearby areas of lower potential, or recombine to form neutral gas molecules. Plasma is a fourth state of matter (after solid, liquid, and gas). It is like a gas or liquid, but molecules are separated into atoms, and the outer electrons are stripped off and are freed into the plasma. In comparison, the sun is essentially a big ball of very hot plasma.

Power System Network

A detailed explanation of the conversion and distribution of electric energy from the power station to consumer units.This post describes how electric energy moves from the power generating station through conductors of various sizes to consumers premises.To minimize losses and for economical reasons, electrical energy has to be converted into different magnitudes during transmission and distribution until the consumer load.

Electric Pole in the middle of a Road!!

Is this the 8th Wonder of the world?
In Igemebe North Constituency, Eastern Province-Kenya lies a mysterious and mixed up piece of what many might call an engineering mess.Right in the middle of Wiyara Road stands an electric pole.The completion of the road was to follow the installation of power to the area but the two projects ran in to each other resulting to the installation of an electric pole in the middle of the road.

Easter Sunday Power Blackout in Kenya

Kenya was today put out of power due to a breakdown in one of the power stations.According to KPLC (Kenya Power & Lighting Company) - the sole distribution and transmitting company, two Generators at Gitaru Power Station momentarily broke down leading to a shutdown of the other generators because they could not handle the load. The blackout lasted for an approximately 3hrs (from 1pm to 4pm) and was soon corrected by the engineers.Gitaru power station is the biggest station in terms of installed and effective capacity. The highest recorded combined output was on 22nd May 2002 when the output was 222MW and in November 2006 the unit recorded 220MW during one evening peak.The number of units installed are three, producing a total capacity of 225 MW which is the biggest hydro in E. Africa. Number 1 was commissioned 1999 with a rated capacity of 81.5.MW. the second and third were installed in 1978 rating a capacity of 72.5MW.

-------KenGen (Kenya Electricity Generating Company)