- Yesterday Kenya’s President, Hon Uhuru Kenyatta officially unveiled Africa’s largest wind farm.
- The 310 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is the single largest private investment in Kenya’s history.
- The wind farm covers 160 square kilometres and is located in Loiyangalani District approximately 545 kilometres north of Nairobi.
- Connection to the national grid started when 129 MW of the 310MW was commissioned back in October last year. Read More
The KSh70 billion wind farm aims to provide 310 MW of reliable, low-cost wind power to Kenya’s national grid, enough to supply one million homes. On completion, the project will comprise 365 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 850 kilowatts; the associated overhead electric grid distribution system and a high voltage substation that will connect it to the national grid. The power produced will be bought at a fixed price by Kenya Power (KPLC) over a 20-year period in accordance with the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the latter.
The project proponent is the LTWP consortium comprising KP&P Africa B.V and Aldwych International as co-developers, Investment Fund for Developing Countries, Vestas Eastern Africa Limited, Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd, KLP Norfund Investments AS and Sandpiper.
The project has been plagued by delays largely due to the Kenyan government’s failure to construct and finish in time a transmission line connecting the wind farm to the national grid due to land compensation challenges.
The mega wind farm was designed to boost the nation’s electricity supply by 13 percent, giving more Kenyans access at a lower cost, President Uhuru Kenyatta said at its launch on Friday.
Kenya has made great strides in renewable energy in recent years and is considered one of the few African nations making progress toward clean power. Around 70 percent of the nation’s electricity comes from renewable sources such as hydropower and geothermal – more than three times the global average.
“Today, we again raised the bar for the continent as we unveil Africa’s single largest wind farm,” said Kenyatta.
Kenyatta, who has announced plans to move the country to 100 percent green energy by 2020, said power from the $775m wind farm would help the government reach its goals of ensuring housing, healthcare, jobs and food security to all citizens. Read more
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
