Kenya: Turkana wind power project completed

KENYA:

By Enock Were

Turkana wind power project completed but The biggest wind farm in sub-Saharan “The challenge is now to get the wind farms compensation to the developer. transmission lines delaying power production Africa is ready but consumers will wait connected to the grid and that is indeed a The Lake Turkana consortium consists longer as the government has not yet project which is not with us,” head of Vestas’ of KP&P Africa, Aldwych International, installed the transmission lines, the Central European and sub-Saharan business Investment Fund for Developing Countries, provider of the turbines said. Nils de Baar told Reuters at the Africa Energy Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation, Forum in Copenhagen. Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Countries, Sandpiper and Vestas. Once Wind Systems installed 365 turbines “The expectation is that it will happen in early completed, Google, a part of Alphabet Inc, at Lake Turkana in March, completing 2018,” he said, adding that the project is will acquire Vestas’ 12.5 per cent stake in construction in less than a year and two Vestas’ largest-ever in terms of the number the project. months ahead of schedule. of wind turbines being installed. Once in operation, the Turkana Lake wind The project, which will add 310 megawatts The 428 km power line from Loiyangalani farm is expected to provide 15 per cent of (MW) of power capacity, is located in one in to Suswa was due to be completed the country’s total electricity needs. Kenya of Africa’s windiest places. Costing Sh70 by October last year, but demands for relies heavily on geothermal and hydro billion ($678 million), it is the country’s compensation from landowners along the power for its electricity supply. largest single private investment and route and other issues have delayed it. Despite an abundance of funding, closely watched by investors looking for KetraCo is targeting completion of the investments in renewable energy in Africa opportunities in African renewable energy. transmission line in August, an official with are only developing slowly due to problems the company said . with bureaucracy and infrastructure. The wind farm had planned to begin Still, Vestas said it hopes to announce new producing power this month, but An official at Kenya Power, owner and wind farm projects in Morocco and West construction of the transmission line to operator of the electricity transmission Africa “very soon”. Last year, it secured just the power grid, being built by state-run system, also stressed the company intends one order on the continent, a 120 MW Kenya Transmission Company (KetraCo), to honour its agreement and is working project in Morocco, and delivered a 181 has been delayed. to identify a number of issues regarding MW project in South Africa.