Written By Vanessa Kariuki ||
All individuals who generate electricity for their own use above one megawatt or who generate any amount of electricity for sale to commercial and industrial users are notified by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to apply for a license with the Authority.
The licence application should be submitted within 90 days from the date of this notice. Failure to comply with this requirement makes it an offence and shall attract penalties as prescribed in Section 118 of the Energy Act 2019.
The essence of licencing these generation plants is, among other reasons, to ensure that such installations are constructed in accordance with set standards, particularly the safety parameters intended to protect the owners, workers and the public.
“It has come to the attention of the Authority that there are persons generating electricity for own use exceeding one megawatt without obtaining a licence from the Authority. There are also persons who are generating electricity for sale to third parties (Commercial and Industrial) without obtaining a licence from the Authority,” said EPRA.
According to Section 117 of the Energy Act, anybody who desires to engage in the production, exportation, importation, transmission, distribution, or retail supply of energy must submit an application for a license to the Authority in accordance with the Act’s rules.
With the caveat that a person does not need permission to generate electrical energy for personal use with a capacity under one megawatt.
Therefore, anyone who produces electricity in any quantity with the intention of selling it must obtain a license.
