Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 788344,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/788344/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 146,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Pukose",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1458,
        "legal_name": "Robert Pukose",
        "slug": "robert-pukose"
    },
    "content": "This Bill has looked at all those aspects in terms of power generation, transmission and distribution. We have also looked at the position of the regulator. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is our regulator. What is its role? Now that we are expanding into the petroleum sector, do we need to have a regulator for energy and a different one for petroleum? In the wisdom of the Committee, we felt that those two regulators should be one for the purposes of both financial management and efficiency. We can have one division which will be responsible for energy and another for petroleum and gas. Therefore, there should just be one energy regulator but with various divisions. Where do you go when you are dissatisfied with the energy regulator? We have a tribunal. This law provides for the establishment of the Energy Tribunal. We have also seen cases where matters pertaining to energy generation are referred to the Environmental Tribunal and it drags on for years and years when those are very expensive projects where investors have come in, started the process, met all the necessary conditions and even signed the Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) and contracts. In this law, we are also making a provision that once the production sharing contract (PSC) and the Field Development Plan (FDP) have been signed, they should also be submitted to the House for debate. The House can then look at the conditions that were met before the contractor can now move into full development of the field. Therefore, this House has a major role and once it disagrees with what has been signed, it can still send it back to the Cabinet Secretary who looks at it and resubmits it to the Floor. There are checks and balances in terms of any contract that will be signed. Another challenging area is in terms of the PPAs. It is taking too long for them to be signed. Although they fall under regulations, it needs to be looked into so that we make it much easier for investors to come. One wants to invest in solar energy, wind or any other renewable energy. The same law also looks at the bioenergy. There have been proposals on bioenergy, especially from the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA); that we need to establish a bioenergy authority which will look at the challenges we have. All the renewable energy sources, like wood fuel and charcoal, are now being depleted within our country. However, as the depletion rate increases, the rate of replacement is quite low. We have challenges of bioenergy as far as regulation is concerned. We should not wait until the state comes in to declare that we need to stop logging for 90 days to save the wood being depleted by our people. This also creates challenges. In Mathioya Constituency, there are farmers who have invested in hydroelectric power generation. They generate 5.6 megawatts of electricity. They use their own timber to generate that energy. They grow trees on their farms. When they cut some trees, they replant. We have now declared a ban on cutting of trees. These farmers have a stock that will last them for two months. It is private land. They grow the trees on their own land. They will be affected because they will have to wait until the Government lifts the ban for them to continue with their process. This affects the economy of our people who are willing to invest. They generate 5.6 megawatts. They only need 1 megawatt. So, they will load the remaining 4.6 megawatts to the national grid so that the country can utilise it in other areas. The year 2013 through to 2017, we saw tremendous power generation improvement in this country, but we also need wananchi to consume as much power as possible of that which is being produced."
}