Construction has began for Africa's first hybrid renewable energy facility

MK254 · 2020-02-05T17:55:50+00:00

Construction has reportedly began on a massive $145 million (Ksh 14.5 billion) hybrid energy project in Meru County. Once complete, the project dubbed Meru County Energy Park will be Africa's first hybrid renewable energy facility combining complementary wind and solar generation with battery storage. Windlab Limited, a renewable energy firm with a presence on multiple continents, is behind the public-private partnership with the Governor Kiraitu Murungi-led Meru county government. According to Construction Review, the commencement of construction was confirmed by Windlab Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ro The facility expected to produce 80MW of power will be co-owned by Windlab and Meru County through the Meru County Investment and Development Corporation (MCIDC). Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi during a press conference on October 29, 2019, at Sarova Panafraic Hotel in Nairobi According to Windlab, the project will contain 20,000 wind turbines and more than 40,000 solar panels. It is expected to bring electricity to 200,000 households and, in turn, drive economic growth in the region. Price had previously described Meru as being endowed with natural resources which he expects to make the project a success. “Meru County is blessed with excellent energy resources including both wind and solar. We are bringing our international experience of developing and implementing hybrid renewable energy facilities from Australia to Meru County, Kenya," he stated on August 9, 2019. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed at the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) on August 28, 2019 between the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), the Meru County Government, Windlab and Eurus Energy. The deal was signed in the presence of then Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe of Japan. Kenya's renewable energy sector is among the most active in Africa and has attracted great investment in recent years. In 2019, the largest wind power plant on the continent was unveiled in Turkana with a capacity to dispense 310MW to the national grid. President Uhuru Kenyatta presses a button for power transmission for the Loiyangalani-Suswa line during the inauguration of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project on July 19, 2019 Source: Kenyans.co.ke

Thread starter MK254
Start date Feb 5, 2020

MK254

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Construction has began for Africa's first hybrid renewable energy facility

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