M a r k e t N e w s

Kenya Boosts Wind Power in Its Renewable Energy Mix

Posted on : Friday , 15th August 2014

 Nairobi — Kenya is set to gain more wind farms as the East African country moves to increase and diversify its clean energy resources.

Nairobi-based company Bluesea Energy Ltd has announced it will begin producing 40 megawatts (MW) in the second half of 2015 at its flagship wind power plant in Meru, expanding the renewable energy mix of a country that has previously relied on hydro and geothermal energy.

"We are moving away from traditional methods of generating power such as thermal, to clean methods of producing the same using our wind resource, which is more innovative and cuts carbon emissions," the company's chairman, David Ikiara, said in a phone interview.

Ikiara said the new plant would generate employment opportunities for young people.

"This will also teach communities, especially the youth, about innovative, non-traditional ways of generating power," he added.

The company has applied to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for a generation license for its first wind farm in Meru, central Kenya, with a view to selling power to the national grid.

Bluesea announced in 2011 that it would invest $100 million to establish three wind-power plants in Meru and neighbouring Isiolo district, and in the Lambwe Valley in southern Kenya, producing between 7 MW and 60 MW.

Meru will be the first of these to become operational, and construction on the other two plants is scheduled to start later next year. Feasibility studies for those plants have been completed and financing has been negotiated with banks, Ikiara told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The Meru plant is significantly bigger than the Ngong wind power station, located on the outskirts of Nairobi, which is owned and operated by the public utility Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

Ngong produces 6.8 MW, but KenGen plans to upgrade its capacity to 25 MW by 2016, according to its executive director Albert Mugo.

Kenya has the potential to produce up to 1,000 MW of wind power, according to the ERC - equal to around two thirds of the country's current installed capacity of 1,600 MW.

Some 800 MW comes from hydropower and 350 MW from the geothermal sources that abound in the Rift Valley region, with the rest from oil-powered plants.

Fredrick Nyang, ERC director-general, said a map of the whole country has been drawn up to identify locations with potential for wind power.

"Detailed feasibility studies are underway to determine the viability of specific sites identified in the wind map," said Nyang. The northern regions of Marsabit, Turkana and Samburu are known to have strong promise, he added.

Source : www.allafrica.com
Featured Companies
  • dubaiexporters.com

Complete List  

Advertisers in previous issue:

  • Prisma s.r.l. is an industrial reality, qualified in the study and the production of automatic doors for lift.
  • Industrial  machinery
  • Manufacturer of extrusion lines,extruders and down stream equipment.
  • Seco actively contributes to improving your productivity and competitiveness in metal cutting machining.
  •  Ratan Projects & Engineering Co. Pvt. Ltd. is the flagship company of the Ratan
  • Producing numerous types of welding consumables and welding machines for both the domestic and international market
  • Pumps for dewatering, ground water control, sludge and slurry handling.
  • From a modest beginning in 1955, the IGP Group today provides over 50 products and services to the core sector.
  • Speco Ltd. is the leading manufacturer & supplier of Asphalt Mixing Plant, Concrete Batching Plant, Crushing Plant & Optimized Integrated Flue Gas Treatment System.
  • Manufacturer of heavy duty machinery
  • All type conveyor belts for internal & external location tapis roulant de tout genre pous deplacement a l
  •  SOVEMA is the worldwide leading supplier of machinery for lead-acid battery production.
  • Manufacturing and marketing "aira" brand Valve Automation Products
  • Bakery Equipment, Flour Mill, Bread Improver, Dried Fruit Processing machine
  • Leading manufactures and expoters of the electronic products
  • Automatic brick manufacturing machines
  • Suppliers of generators for every application
  • GM Electricals is a competitive wholeseller of broad range of electrical materials and equipments
  • Used Machinery
  • LINTEC doub- le screen technology and the worlds first asphalt mixing plant in 100% ISO sea containers.
  • The trusted source for all your heavy  equipment needs!
  •  JS Electromec Ltd,(JSE Ltd) are registered Electrical contractors and Suppliers of Lighting and Power solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications in Tanzania.
  • Worthington Products is the World’s most trusted name when it comes to providing quality waterway barriers for Debris Control, Dam Safety, Ice-Booms, Fish Guidance
  • Dedicated to the Engineering Manufacturing Sector in India
Afrotrade International Marketing, Tel: +971-50-6285684
© 1998-2025 Afrotrade