Chinese to build power station

Electricity generator KenGen has signed a contract for the construction of a power station to add 20 megawatts into the national grid by 2011.

Sinohydro a Chinese company will handle the construction at the Sangoro Power Station project while Nippon Koei of Japan is the consultant.
The two firms won the bids in an international tender placed by KenGen.

According to Mr Eddy Njoroge, KenGen managing director, the construction is set to begin in November and continue for the next 36 months.

“We are confident that within the next three years we will be able from this station to inject an additional 20 megawatts of electricity into the national grid,” noted Mr Njoroge.

Sangoro Power plant is located five kilometres down stream at the end of Sondu/Miriu Hydro Power project tunnel.

The new station is intended to utilise the discharge of 39.9 cubic metres per second of water from the Sondu power station, dropping from a height of 62.2 metres. Today the demand for electricity is estimated at 1050MW.

The project was identified as one of the priority areas in addressing the growing demand for electricity in the country.

Studies for the project were carried out in 1992, same time as the Sondu/Miriu. It is expected to interface with Sondu/Miriu and boost generation of hydropower in western Kenya.

Currently, region depends on the Sondu/Miriu project that is yet to be commissioned. It is also expected to inject 60 megawatts into the national grid when fully operational.

The project will cost Sh4.6 billion to its completion. Japan Bank for International Co-operation has provided an initial funding to the tune of Sh3.65 billion.