Kenya plans to license more liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) import terminals along the Indian Ocean coastline to boost uptake of the clean energy source, the energy regulator said on Thursday.
Daniel Kiptoo, director general, Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) told journalists in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that the country currently relies on only one privately owned import terminal to satisfy the country's domestic demand for the cooking gas.
"We need to have more LPG import terminals in order to increase supply," Kiptoo said during the release of the 2021 Energy and Petroleum Statistics Report.
Kiptoo added that Kenya is keen to have more berths for unloading LPG carriers in order to lower the cost of the cooking gas in the market.
He said that Kenya currently has no local production of natural gas and is therefore dependent on imports of LPG.
According to the energy regulator, eight private sector players have expressed interest in constructing import terminals for LPG.
Kiptoo observed that more import terminals will also increase the country's storage capacity and therefore will attract bigger LPG vessels to supply the cooking gas to the Kenyan market.
The official noted that currently Kenya's capita consumption of LPG stands at 7.5 kg compared to a target of 15 kg.
He noted that lower cost of LPG will attract more households to switch from Kerosene, charcoal or firewood to clean cooking fuels.
Editor: Kelly
