The Kipeto wind project is now one step closer to delivering more clean power to Kenyans after announcing that it has officially signed a 20–year power purchase agreement with Kenya Power. This is a major highlight in the development of the 100-MW wind farm project.
Kenya’s electricity connection has almost doubled in the past four years to 46%.The Kipeto wind project will be a chief contributor to the government’s plan to supply 70% of homes with electricity by 2017 and global access by 2020.
The project consists of the construction, financing, operation and the maintenance of the greenfield wind farm situated in Kajiado County.
Once concluded, the 100-MW, grid-connected wind energy facility will be one of the first utility-scale wind farms to come on line in the country.
The Kipeto wind project is being developed in a JV with one of US President Barrack Obama’s Power Africa private-sector associates and fund adviser to African Infrastructure Investment Fund 2, African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), together with Kenyan independent power project developer Craftskills Wind Energy International and the International Finance Corporation through its universal infrastructure project development fund, IFC Infraventures.
China Machinery Engineering Corporation is the engineering, procurement and construction supplier. Multinational conglomerate corporation General Electric is to provide sixty GE 1.7-103 wind turbines, offering better efficiency at low wind speeds, and will service the plant over a 15-year period.
The 100-MW wind project is part of the country’s 2030 vision to increase more generating capacity to the grid so as to meet the amplified energy demand in the nation. The project is expected to attain financial close and start construction by the end of the year.
