Kenya to get 60.8 MW wind project

Kenyan firm Kinangop Wind Park Limited is planning to generate 60.8 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the country’s national grid by harnessing renewable wind power.

Kenya relies heavily on hydroelectric dams for power, but this has proved inefficient in times of drought. Recent back-to-back incidences of low rainfall have slashed the country's hydropower production, leaving consumers with high electricity bills after producers had turned to more expensive thermal power.

“The new project involves building a60.8MW wind power park in Kinangop in order to supply additional power to the national grid," the company said in a statement here. It added that it would apply for a power generation licence from the sector regulator on 5 December.

Investors in the East Africa's largest economy are turning increasingly to renewable sources such as wind and geothermal to help stabilise supplies of electricity. Kenya has several wind power projects lined up for implementation, including a 300MW plant planned for the north of the country.

Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) ? a subsidiary of Dutch wind power firm KP&P, behind the US$873.7 million project ? said in March that construction would start by December. Kenya's main power producer Kenya Electricity Generating Company is already generating over 5 MW from wind on the outskirts of the capital.

Another firm, Aeolus Kenya, is in the process of implementing a 60MW wind power project to be located in Kinangop Plateau in central Kenya.

Kenya has set a target of 30,000 megawatts (MW) generation by 2030, the year in which it hopes to become a middle-income country. At present it has a capacity of 1,400MW and is due to install another 2,000 to 3,000MW within the next five years.