President William Ruto has said the country will upgrade its national power grid from three Giga Watts to 100 Giga Watts by 2040. He said of the 3 Giga Watts which is currently operating, 92% of the power is renewable. https://bit.ly/3EoDHO9
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00:00 Our renewable energy resources are not just environmental necessity,
00:05 they are the ultimate catalyst of radical socio-economic prosperity.
00:11 They can fuel sustainable development, drive economic growth,
00:16 create jobs and also uplift millions from energy poverty,
00:24 all while reducing our carbon footprint.
00:29 Continentally and globally, the possibilities are not just promising,
00:36 they are transformative.
00:39 Africa can power all our energy needs with renewable resources.
00:45 The continent has enough potential to be entirely self-sufficient
00:51 with the mixture of wind, solar, geothermal, sustainable biomass,
00:59 and hydropower.
01:01 In Africa, we can be a green industrial hub that helps other regions
01:07 achieve their net zero strategies by 2050.
01:12 In other words, what I'm saying is unlocking the renewable resources
01:21 that we have in our continent is not only good for Africa,
01:26 it is good for the rest of the world.
01:29 Because we're not only driving our own growth,
01:38 but we are ready to share these resources with the rest of the world,
01:42 and by doing so, we will assist the rest of the world
01:49 in ensuring that we move towards the net zero target
01:56 that we all set for ourselves.
01:58 And for Africa, renewable resources, it is not just the volume,
02:05 but also the non-seasonality of our renewable energy that stands out.
02:11 The nearly year-round sunshine makes Africa's solar potential
02:19 particularly unique, perfectly suited to industrial energy demands,
02:24 something that is challenging in other areas,
02:30 especially in temperate climates.
02:32 Kenya, for example, serves as a good example of what is possible.
02:37 Our national grid currently operates at three gigawatts
02:43 with 93% of that power being renewable.
02:49 Our ambition is audacious yet achievable,
02:55 100% renewable by 2030,
02:58 and a 100 gigawatt grid entirely renewable by 2040.
03:04 A serious challenge in bridging the investment gap
03:11 in order to enable the continent to meet its energy needs
03:15 is the creation of demand on sufficient scale
03:22 to provide incentives for appropriate private investment
03:27 in energy infrastructure development.
03:29 Industrial energy at scale is therefore necessary
03:34 to anchor energy demand as a means of tackling
03:39 the widespread energy poverty still prevalent across our continent.
03:45 The numbers are stark.
03:47 Nearly 600 million Africans lack access to electricity.
03:52 Another 150 million grapple with unreliable power,
03:56 and almost a billion have no access to clean cooking energy.
04:03 But the abundance of our renewable resources,
04:07 the possibilities offered by new technologies
04:10 and opportunities created by new climate financing
04:15 offers enormous possibilities for us.
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