Local firms set to pump Sh12bn in wind farm

The Ngong Wind Power farm in Kajiado County under construction on July 24, 2014. The company putting up a wind-power plant in Nyandarua has expressed its regrets over the death of a teenager following protests over the implementation of the Sh13 billion project. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |

What you need to know:

  • The consortium comprises Civicon, a subsidiary of Transcentury Investments, HydroChina Corporation, Aperture Green Power and Saron Marketing.
  • The project that is meant to supply 300 megawatts of wind electricity, whose construction is set to take place in Marsabit, has stalled for about five years due to opposition from local communities and challenges in obtaining guarantees for purposes of funding the investment.

A group of local investors have announced plans to set up a 50 megawatts wind farm in Limuru.

Construction of the Sh12 billion electricity plant is expected to start in March next year.

The consortium is yet to enter into a power purchase agreement with Kenya Power that will provide details about the tariff through which the electricity will be hooked into the national grid.

The consortium comprises Civicon, a subsidiary of Transcentury Investments, HydroChina Corporation, Aperture Green Power and Saron Marketing.

“The potential for wind energy generation in Kenya is significant and we shall be using the Limuru Wind farm project as a pilot programme to fine tune our delivery capacity,” said Gachao Kiuna, Transcentury group’s chief executive officer.

STALLED PROJECT
The wind farm will be constructed on a 210-acre piece of land. This is among several other proposed wind farms across the country in areas such as Isiolo, Marsabit, Kajiado, Meru, Laikipia and Samburu.

At the moment, wind power fed into the grid is about 25 megawatts, from the Ngong wind farm operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company, despite the resource being among the cheapest and renewable sources of electricity.

The project that is meant to supply 300 megawatts of wind electricity, whose construction is set to take place in Marsabit, has stalled for about five years due to opposition from local communities and challenges in obtaining guarantees for purposes of funding the investment.