Huawei rallies behind digitization of Kenya's energy systems to boost efficiency

NAIROBI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom firm Huawei is supporting the digitization of energy systems in Kenya including power grids and transmission lines in a bid to enhance their efficiency and cut down on waste and pollution, senior executives said Friday.

Kebal Wang, director of the energy sector at Huawei Kenya Enterprise, said that leveraging digital tools will help transform the power supply in the country through improved grid stability, prompt reporting, and action on outages.

"Our collective efforts to advance green energy in Kenya include the provision of digital infrastructure that enhances the stability of power generation and its distribution," Wang said during the Huawei Kenya Energy Summit 2024 held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Senior government officials, Huawei executives, and industry leaders attended the day-long summit themed "Find the Right Technologies to Power Global Energy Transition."

The launch of Huawei's intelligent distribution solution was a key highlight of the summit that discussed novel ways to accelerate energy intelligence in Kenya and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Stephen Nzioka, director of renewable energy in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, said that a partnership with Huawei will help digitize power utilities, enhance service provision, and improve revenue generation.

Kenya's energy sector has embraced new technologies such as the Internet Of Things (IoT) and geographic information systems to ensure power grids, transmission lines, and metering are smart, reliable, and stable, Nzioka said. He added that as digitization of energy systems gathers pace, the government has invested in manpower and supportive infrastructure to avert cyberattacks that could jeopardize national security.

Intelligent power grids are key to tackling frequent power outages, revenue losses, and inefficiencies that bode ill for Kenya's green energy transition, said Hannah Han, director of Sub-Saharan Africa Energy Industry at Huawei.

According to Han, innovations such as sensing computing, cognitive consensus, and comprehensive IoT will boost energy intelligence in Kenya.

Benjamin Muoki, manager in charge of IT services and telecommunications at Kenya Power, said that digitization of power generation, transmission, and distribution has ensured that the service provided to end users is reliable, cost-effective, and of high quality, adding that establishing an intelligent operation network at the power utility is key to achieving universal access to electricity in Kenya.