[Photo/transformers magazine.com]From early next year Kenyans may be able to enjoy cheaper power from independent solar producers immediately an auctioning policy that would cut the cost at which Kenya Power buys electricity from PV firms by half.On Tuesday the utility firm’s managing director and CEO, Dr Ken Tarus said, that he expected the cost at which it buys power from solar firms in the country will fall to about $0.06 (about Sh6) per kilowatt-hour from the current high of $0.12 (about Sh12) per kilowatt-hour.Since 2015 Kenya’s energy sector players have been working on a policy that will allow the government to buy power from independent producers through an auction system replacing the current Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) policy, which leaves the pricing at the producers’ discretion.Dr Tarus said, “At the moment we are still under the feed-in tariffs and under this policy we have the unsolicited bids. Therefore any investor will come in with what they perceive as their right price.” “The latest we’ve seen is about $0.0875 and $0.085 and we are optimistic that once we get to the soliciting of bids that should come down due to competition. Indications are that this could come in either at the end of this year or early next year,” he added.

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