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Kenya launches Africa's biggest wind farm
FRIDAY JULY 19 2019
Kenyana President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto tours the Lake Turkana Wind Power project in Marsabit county during its inauguration on July 19, 2019. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG
In Summary
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Kenya on Friday inaugurated Africa's biggest wind power plant, a mammoth project in a gusty stretch of remote wilderness that now provides nearly a fifth of the country's energy needs.
The $680-million project, a sprawling 365-turbine wind farm on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, is delivering 310 megawatts of renewable power to the national grid of East Africa's most dynamic economy.
The largest private investment in Kenya's history, the Lake Turkana Wind Power project was beset with delays and took nearly a decade to rise from the arid landscape 600 kilometres north of Nairobi.
Today the windmills—scattered across Turkana's stark lunar landscape and rocky hills—deliver 15 percent of Kenya's entire installed capacity, connected to the national grid through a 428-kilometre power line.
"Today, we again raise the bar for the continent as we unveil the single largest wind farm," said President Uhuru Kenyatta, after touring the project.
"Kenya is without a doubt on course to become a world leader in renewable energy."
The project lies in a natural corridor dubbed "the windiest place on earth" and promises to harness this endless power at low cost.
The nearly-50 metre turbines were engineered to handle the fierce gusts that tear through the "Turkana Corridor", a wind tunnel that generates optimal conditions, year round.
The winds howling near constantly through the barren valley deliver double the load capacity enjoyed by similar projects in America and Europe.
"It is unprecedented. This is one of the most consistently windiest places in the world," said Rizwan Fazal, the executive director of the Lake Turkana Power Project.
A Herculean effort was needed to construct the behemoth wind farm in Kenya's farthest extremes.
The windmills, manufactured by Danish company Vestas, had to be brought overland from the Kenyan port of Mombasa, some 1,200 kilometres away.
More than 2,000 trips were needed to bring all the materials from port to plant.
Some 200 kilometres of road leading to the site had to be upgraded to allow trucks through, shaving a journey that used to take days to several hours.
Another 100 kilometres of internal roads linking the turbines dotting the hot, desert horizons were also constructed.
The project, far more ambitious in scale than rivals elsewhere on the continent, has been closely watched as a case study of investing in renewables in Africa, where demand for energy is soaring as economies grow and populations swell.
In Kenya—which relies heavily on hydropower and geothermal—power is unreliable and costly, hindering business as energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing look to take off.
Kenyatta has previously committed to 100 percent renewable energy for Kenya by 2020—a pledge the government has been accused of betraying with plans to build a coal-fired power plant off the coast in Lamu.
FRIDAY JULY 19 2019
Kenyana President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto tours the Lake Turkana Wind Power project in Marsabit county during its inauguration on July 19, 2019. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG
In Summary
- The $680-million project will deliver 310 megawatts of renewable power to the national grid.
- The Lake Turkana Wind Power project was beset with delays and took nearly a decade to rise from the arid landscape in Marsabit.
- The wind plant is now generating 15 per cent of Kenya's entire installed capacity.
More by this Author
Kenya on Friday inaugurated Africa's biggest wind power plant, a mammoth project in a gusty stretch of remote wilderness that now provides nearly a fifth of the country's energy needs.
The $680-million project, a sprawling 365-turbine wind farm on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, is delivering 310 megawatts of renewable power to the national grid of East Africa's most dynamic economy.
The largest private investment in Kenya's history, the Lake Turkana Wind Power project was beset with delays and took nearly a decade to rise from the arid landscape 600 kilometres north of Nairobi.
Today the windmills—scattered across Turkana's stark lunar landscape and rocky hills—deliver 15 percent of Kenya's entire installed capacity, connected to the national grid through a 428-kilometre power line.
"Today, we again raise the bar for the continent as we unveil the single largest wind farm," said President Uhuru Kenyatta, after touring the project.
"Kenya is without a doubt on course to become a world leader in renewable energy."
The project lies in a natural corridor dubbed "the windiest place on earth" and promises to harness this endless power at low cost.
The nearly-50 metre turbines were engineered to handle the fierce gusts that tear through the "Turkana Corridor", a wind tunnel that generates optimal conditions, year round.
The winds howling near constantly through the barren valley deliver double the load capacity enjoyed by similar projects in America and Europe.
"It is unprecedented. This is one of the most consistently windiest places in the world," said Rizwan Fazal, the executive director of the Lake Turkana Power Project.
A Herculean effort was needed to construct the behemoth wind farm in Kenya's farthest extremes.
The windmills, manufactured by Danish company Vestas, had to be brought overland from the Kenyan port of Mombasa, some 1,200 kilometres away.
More than 2,000 trips were needed to bring all the materials from port to plant.
Some 200 kilometres of road leading to the site had to be upgraded to allow trucks through, shaving a journey that used to take days to several hours.
Another 100 kilometres of internal roads linking the turbines dotting the hot, desert horizons were also constructed.
The project, far more ambitious in scale than rivals elsewhere on the continent, has been closely watched as a case study of investing in renewables in Africa, where demand for energy is soaring as economies grow and populations swell.
In Kenya—which relies heavily on hydropower and geothermal—power is unreliable and costly, hindering business as energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing look to take off.
Kenyatta has previously committed to 100 percent renewable energy for Kenya by 2020—a pledge the government has been accused of betraying with plans to build a coal-fired power plant off the coast in Lamu.