Ungekuwa unafuatilia miradi ya wazara ya nishati under BRN,( ipo 29) ungejua kuwa Kenya hawana cha kutuzidi. Mradi wa Mtwara ambao ni wa TANESCO na Symbion (ya Marekani) ni 600 - 800MW. Bomba la gesi 2015 na miradi ya uzalishaji Dar ni karibu 3000MW. Ngoja bomba la gesi likamilike utasema. Utawasikia kenya wanataka bomba liende kwao.
AVATOR TUMEJIPANGA NA KWENDA MBELE TUKO NGANGARI.WALW WANAODHANI TUPO USINGIZI BASI WATASHANGAA.GESI IKIFIKA KAMA MNATAKA KUUZA TUTANUNUA KUTENGEZA UMEME ZAIDI MOMBASA.KAMA HAMUUZI SAWA TUKO SAWA SISI.
[h=1]Construction of Kenya's Turkana wind farm seen starting in early 2014[/h]
By Richard Lough September 10, 2013 5:53 AM
.View photo
A crane is used to carry out construction work near the power-generating windmill turbines at the Kenya …
By Richard Lough
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Construction of Kenya's delayed Lake Turkana Wind Power project should begin in the first quarter of 2014 with a shortfall in funding expected to be filled by the end of the year, a co-developer of one of the largest African undertakings of its kind said on Tuesday.
The wind farm will have a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) of power, helping plug a power supply shortfall which. coupled with an ageing grid. means regular blackouts that hamper industry in east Africa's biggest economy.
"Q1 next year we should be in construction," Christian Wright, regional director for Aldwych International, told Reuters. "Then it's about 23 months to the first 50 MW of power, then about another seven months or so to get the full 300 MW."
The European Investment Bank told Reuters it had board approval for 200 million euros to help finance the Lake Turkana project.
That means about 120 million euros of the total project cost of a little more than 600 million euros still need approval, Wright said, adding that the target for financial closure was the end of this year.
Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems will supply some 365 wind turbines at the site in the far north of the country. Kenya Power, the country's sole power distributor, will pay a tariff of 7.52 euro cents per kilowatt hour, Wright added.
The wind farm had been due to start generating power in June 2011 but the project has been dogged by financing difficulties.
Kenya on Monday said it wanted to quadruple its power output by 2017 to unleash faster economic growth, eyeing an additional 5,000 MW of power supply to the existing 1,664 MW generated.
It plans liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal-fired power stations while also tapping vast steam reserves to ramp up geothermal production to wean itself off unreliable rain-fed hydro-electric dams.
Power costs for industry, which the private sector says leaves it struggling against global rivals, would fall 37 percent to 9 cents per kwh, according to government projections. Domestic tariffs would nearly halve.
But investors at a government briefing said the timeline was ambitious. Some cautioned such a rapid injection of supply could lead to a mismatch with demand, raising concerns over the ability of Kenya Power to pay for all the added power.
"There will also be concern that ... if you build so much new capacity up so quickly, will demand actually be able to pick up just as quickly?" said Kurt Simonsen, head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in east and central Africa.
Kenya: Govt Shortlists 22 Bidders for Coal, GAS Plants
By Kennedy Kangethe, 27 January 2014
Related Topics
Nairobi - The government has issued request for proposal documents to successful bidders for the 960 Megawatts (MW) thermal coal power plant in Lamu and 700MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) thermal power plant to be located in Dongo ----- in Mombasa.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir says that his ministry received expression of interest from 36 companies for the Dongo ----- LNG facility and 26 for the Lamu plant with the ministry shortlisting 10 companies to compete for the Lamu Coal power plant while 12 companies for the Dongo ----- LNG plant.
The companies are required to show ability to raise at least $1 billion (Sh85 billion) at competitive terms and have strong balance sheets with a minimum of $200 million (Sh17.1 billion).
The successful bidders for the Lamu Plant include; Mitsui and Company limited, Shanxi International Electricity Group, Sinohydro Group, Shanghai Electric Power Company, Tata Power, Marubeni Corporation, Allrich International, Toyota Tutshu, Toyota power, Human Capital Investment Group.
The successful bidders for the Dongo ----- LNG facility include: China Petroleum, Tata Power in consortium with Gulf Energy, Globlec, Mitsui and Company, Toyota Tutshu, Marubeni Corporation, Sumsang C and T, GMR Energy, Quantum power and GDF Suez.
Chirchir says winners of the tender will be based on the most competitive Feed-In Tariff as the successful investors will build, own and operate the plants, with an option to transfer to the government after recovering full value of investment.
"As we pick these documents today, competition has been structured. It will not be the debate of I'm the third largest power generator in China or in Europe, you could be big, but what are your costs? I want to know the cost of the power to the national grind, and if your cost is the most competitive you will be the winner," he said.
The bidders are supposed to present their proposals in 80 days from Monday.
The Lamu project is supposed to be completed by 30 months while the Dongo ----- LNG project is scheduled be completed in 24 months with the government only giving partial risk guarantee.
The two plants are part of Kenya's ambitious plan of generating 5,500MW for injection to the national grid within the next three years in bid to make the country more competitive for investment.
"We need to lower energy costs, so as we make the country the preferred destination for investments in the region," he said.
Kenya's power system currently has a capacity of 1,664MW comprising of hydro (770MW); geothermal (241MW); thermal (622MW); co-generation (26MW) and wind (5MW).
The successful bidder for Dongo ----- plant will be required to build a floating storage and re-gasification unit with sufficient capacity and infrastructure to supply natural gas to power plants using heavy fuel oil.
Kenya
Body 'Explodes' Over Rift Valley
While calm appears restored in most parts of the Rift Valley that were left shell-shocked on Thursday night following …
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Africa / African Business
GE to supply turbines for Kenya's biggest wind-power plant
by Agency Staff, December 17 2013, 15:47
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Jay Ireland, CEO of General Electric in Africa. Picture: FINANCIAL MAIL
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NAIROBI - General Electric (GE) has won a contract to supply turbines to a Kenyan wind-power park, set to be sub-Saharan Africa's largest wind-generation project outside South Africa, the US conglomerate said on Tuesday.
The 60.8MW Kinangop Wind Park is set to come online in the middle of 2015, and is one of several wind and geothermal projects in Kenya, where the government has pledged to ramp up output to meet growing demand for electricity.
GE said it would provide 38 turbines, each with a 1.6MW capacity, to be constructed by Iberdrola Engineering.
The US company, which joins Danish wind firm Vestas in supplying Kenyan wind farms, did not specify the value of the contract.
Another plant, the 300MW Lake Turkana Wind Power project, is expected to be completed in 2016 and will overtake Kinangop as the biggest wind farm in Kenya.
The power plants are part of Kenya's plans to fill a power supply shortfall, which, coupled with a dilapidated grid network, means frequent power outages that hamper industry in East Africa's biggest economy.
With capacity of 1,664MW against a maximum recorded demand of about 1,410MW, Kenya is under pressure to boost power generation as its economy is expected to expand more than 5%.
Reuters
Kinangop Wind Farm in Kenya to be Powered by 38 GE Wind Turbines
- One of the Largest Wind Power Generation Projects to be Built in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Iberdrola Engineering to Build the 61-Megawatt Wind Farm; Aeolus Kenya Developing Project
- Planned Energy Mix Will Give Kenya's Population the Reliability of Supply and Contribute to the Social and Economic Development of Kenya
- GE to Provide 38 1.6-MW Wind Turbines and Operations and Maintenance for 10 Years
December 17, 2013 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
SCHENECTADY, N.Y.--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--The Kinangop Wind Farm in Kenya, developed by Aeolus Kenya and constructed by Iberdrola Engineering, will be powered by 38 GE (NYSE:GE)
1.6-megawatt (MW) wind turbines. The Kinangop facility will be one of the largest wind power generation projects to be built to date in sub-Saharan Africa. Following its commissioning, the 61-MW wind farm will generate enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent of 150,000 homes in the country.
"Tariff Structures for Sustainable Electrification in Africa"
GE has had a long and successful collaboration with Iberdrola, spanning nearly 100 years, having developed energy projects together in all countries where Iberdrola has a footprint. In Kenya, Nairobi Ring, a large-scale grid upgrade for the Kenya Electricity Transmission utility also was announced as another collaboration between the companies. Nairobi Ring is a new electricity distribution system including a high-voltage network, four new substations and the extension of the city's largest existing substation.
"The Kinangop wind farm project strengthens our presence in Africa and particularly in Kenya, where the expansion in power capacity needs to be balanced with the reliability of the supply. GE's 1.6-MW wind turbines are a great fit for Kenya's robust wind conditions and for the advancements in serviceability and grid integration," said Iberdrola Engineering.
"The development of this large-scale wind park has been a challenging and rewarding process and all our efforts have yielded a positive outcome for
Kenya in its ongoing efforts to improve energy security. GE's 1.6-MW wind turbines will provide reliable, cost-effective and efficient generation of a cleaner source of power over the lifetime of the project," said Richard Herbert, chief executive, Aeolus Kenya.
GE also will provide operations and maintenance for the wind farm through a
full-service agreement (FSA) with Kinangop Wind Park Limited for 10 years. The agreement will help the Kinangop wind farm achieve high wind turbine operating performance and life with predictive condition monitoring services, unplanned maintenance coverage and other advanced services. GE also will train local technicians and provide technical advisory support for connecting the wind farm to the grid.
Kenya's population of 43 million is experiencing tremendous growth. According to the "
Tariff Structures for Sustainable Electrification in Africa" report, roughly 16-18 percent of the Kenyan population has access to electricity. Over the last six years, electricity demand has increased by an average of 7 percent per annum, and the energy demand forecast for 2010-2030 is rising from 7.4 TWh in 2009 to 92 TWh in 2030. This corresponds to an annual increase in demand of 12.8 percent.
"We are pleased to make our debut into the Kenyan power sector. GE's advanced wind technology will help provide cost-effective power to the economy and contribute to the social development of
Kenya," said Cliff Harris, general manager for GE's European, Middle East and Africa renewable energy business.
The facility will benefit from around-the-clock remote monitoring and diagnostics through GE's global wind monitoring center in Salzbergen, Germany, which monitors wind turbines in Europe, Africa and Asia.
About Ibedrola Engineering
Iberdrola Engineering is one of the widest-reaching energy engineering companies with activities in nearly 40 countries. An Iberdrola Group company, the subsidiary specializes in engineering and construction projects for other companies in the group as well as third parties in the fields of generation, nuclear, grids and renewable energy.
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at
www.ge.com.
About GE Power & Water
GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world's most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water's six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE's largest industrial business.
Kenya's energy revolution: full steam ahead for geothermal power
Electricity may be at a premium in Kenya, but the country hopes to be the world's leading exponent of geothermal power by 2023
Tubes carry super-heated steam into one of the main processing facilities at the Olkaria geothermal plant, central Kenya. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty
You can understand why the Masai gave
Kenya's Hell's Gate national park its name, says Isaac Kirimi, drilling superintendent at the site's Olkaria geothermal plant. Here in the active east African rift, fractures in the ground seep sulphur, while rocks are too hot to touch. The Earth's crust is communicating with the
magma chamber, Kirimi says.
The region is considered one of the most exciting geothermal prospects in the world. Where Kirimi and his team have drilled wells, water heated by molten lava roars like a jet engine as it bursts out of the ground.
East Africa is undergoing an
energy revolution driven by massive offshore natural gas finds in Tanzania and notable oil discoveries in Kenya and Uganda, all in the past three years. Energy from these hydrocarbons is yet to be realised, however. The domestic shortfall is a major hindrance to growth, leaving millions of people literally living in the dark.
About 16% of Kenya's population has access to electricity,
according to World Bank data, and demand is outstripping supply. Rationing is a daily reality for many. "The [national grid] service is unreliable and costs business owners large amounts in backup infrastructure and fuel," says Harrison Leaf, managing director of
access:energy.
Several private companies like Leaf's are developing off-grid micro-solutions to supplement national supply. But geothermal has become the darling of on-grid solutions for Kenya, and plenty of other countries are keen to benefit.
Kenya's state-owned power producer, Kengen, has been asked to provide consultancy services to Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania. According to the
Geothermal Energy Association, Kenya
will become the world leader if its planned projects are completed on time.
The country has set the ambitious target of producing 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, which will power millions of homes: all energy generated is fed into the national grid to increase the percentage of households served. The World Bank estimates that geothermal from east Africa's Rift Valley could power 150m homes.
Progress is steaming ahead at the country's largest geothermal site, 80km north-west of Nairobi. Kirimi has lost count of how many wells he has drilled. His eight rigs with giant cylindrical shafts and diamond teeth are drilling wells at a rate of more than 40 a year. One well has the power to produce 18MW annually; by July 2014, Kirimi hopes to be generating 280MW – and working towards the site's next target of 560MW.
"Within 10 years, there is no reason why we should not be beyond 3,000MW," says geothermal development manager, Geoffrey Muchemi. This would equal the US's current installed capacity and, in terms of geothermal as a percentage of national power, make Kenya a world leader.
Muchemi attributes the rate of growth in part to the Kenyan government's support. "Hydroelectric power has been our mainstay for a long time. But Kenya is a dry country. There are times when the rivers have no water. We only have two rainy seasons in a year and there are years when the rain completely fails."
Hydroelectric energy generators can run at as little as 58% of their installed capacity, he says. Diesel, likewise, cannot be relied upon for continuous production; like a car, it has to be stopped for routine maintenance, and does not run at more than 60%. Geothermal, however, consistently delivers almost full capacity. About 13% of Kenya's power generating capacity is geothermal, but in real terms it contributes 22% to the grid. "That is one of the reasons why the expansion is based on geothermal," Muchemi says.
A lack of human resources is one of the primary factors limiting Kengen's geothermal growth. Developing geothermal requires highly skilled specialists. The nescessary skills are not commonly taught at universities. The UN began addressing this problem four decades ago. In the mid-70s, they identified the potential of geothermal in the wake of heavily inflated oil prices during the energy crisis. By 1979, the UN had established the first
Geothermal Training Programme, hosted by Iceland, in an attempt to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons.
Muchemi, a geology graduate, won a scholarship to join the UN's programme and sends eight of his employees every year to study in Iceland and New Zealand. Many more are taught on site by visiting lecturers, or attend the new geothermal postgraduate course at Kimathi University in Kenya. "We are trying to assist local universities to teach geothermal", says Muchemi, who helped Kimathi University write its curriculum. Every employee at Kengen's geothermal plant is Kenyan.
Ensuring the local community benefits from employment at the plant is challenging. Kengen has a policy of employing locally, but Kirimi says many of the Maasai did not attend school. "We try to give them jobs according to their ability," he says.
Joseph Ole Kiraison, 21, is a young Masai from the nearby Olomanyana community. He was unable to finish school because of financial constraints and is working as a security contractor at one of the drilling rigs. "[Olkaria] is a development opportunity, but there's corruption," he says, referring to local leaders. He believes the community is not developing from opportunities presented by the plant because of inter-clan rivalries, which mean certain people are promoted above others. Both Kengen's chief human resources officer and community liason officer are from the Masai community. Together, they seek to counter such bias and promote Masai rights.
After an environmental impact assessment, Kengen is obliged to resettle those living near the plant. This is due to noise and air pollution. Those entitled are awaiting the resettlement and compensation packages they have agreed, which comply with World Bank standards. Kengen is responsible for ensuring they are not worse off than at the outset.
The $60m resettlement plan has presented its own challenges. Some local leaders sought to exploit the negotiations for financial gain, according to Kirimi. But a collaborative process has provided transparency, giving the community options in terms of how and where they are resettled. After the development is complete, it is understood they will continue to have access to their original land.
Geothermal in Kenya: full steam ahead
Jan 8, 2014 11:24am
by Verity Ratcliffe
1inShare3
Kenya is already the world's ninth largest geothermal power producer. It plans to do better by following an ambitious geothermal development plan. The east African state's installed geothermal capacity is set to more than double by the end of the year after 280MW capacity is added to its existing Olkaria plant. Kenya's government wants to keep the momentum going. State-owned Geothermal Development Company has kicked off the new year with a tender for another 300MW of geothermal capacity at Suswa, about 55 kilometres from Nairobi.
Geothermal currently accounts for 13.5 per cent of Kenya's power mix. Hydropower is another major source at 44.5 per cent. While this makes Kenya a renewable energy leader, it also means that the power supply can be intermittent, particularly during droughts when hydropower production plummets. The government has decided to focus on geothermal power as it is both reliable and cheap. "About half of the capacity is hydropower but this means a lot of fluctuations… We are working towards making geothermal a base load in Kenya," says Davis Chirchir, Kenya's cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum.
Speaking on his mobile phone at Olkaria geothermal plant in the Hell's Gate national park, Davis Chirchir told beyondbrics that 140MW additional capacity would be commissioned at the existing plant in the first quarter of the year, "probably in March", with the other 140MW to follow by the end of the third quarter.
The new units will sell power to utility Kenya Power for 7 $cents a kilowatt hour. That's cheap. Power generated from traditional gas and thermal sources can cost 20 $cents a kWh and 25 $cents per kWh from heavy fuel oil, on which Kenya is increasingly reliant.
The other good thing about geothermal is its typically small footprint and lack of emissions, particularly important in national reserves. "There isn't much disruption to the landscape. Olkaria is in a natural reserve but it doesn't disturb the animals," says Orli Arav, head of Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), which helped fund two of the earlier phases of the Olkaria development.
By 2030, Kenya plans to generate 30 per cent of its electricity from geothermal power, putting it on a par with Iceland, which generates the highest proportion of its electricity from geothermal in the world. However, this means that Kenya will need to increase its geothermal generating capacity to 5,000MW, 20 times the current value.
To achieve this, the government is starting with a 40-month strategy that began in September last year. It hopes to commission 700MW capacity through power developer KenGen and a further 156MW as independent power projects by other developers by the end of 2016.
KenGen will increase the capacity of the Olkaria geothermal station by 210MW in 2016. The next block for development is at Menengai near Nakuru. A power purchase agreement for the first 100MW phase of the 400MW project is under negotiation and three developers have been selected, according to Geothermal Development Company (GDC). GDC has also invited expressions of interest from developers for a 300MW plant at Suswa, south of Olkaria, which will be operational between 2016 and 2018. "They are developing their sites quite fast…It's an ambitious plan," says Marietta Sander, executive director of International Geothermal Association.
Kenya's grand plans will need a lot of cash. According to KenGen estimates, building 5,000MW capacity by 2030 will cost about $18 billion. Kenya has relied heavily on international development agencies and private investment so far and is likely to continue to do so.
In a bid to sweeten the deal for private investors, the government takes on the initial exploration phase for new projects. "Geothermal development is fairly risky in terms of exploration and studies," says Davis Chirchir. "GDC is bringing the costs down. It does the research and offers well-priced steam." GDC offers steam for 3.5 $cents per mills/kWh.
According to GDC, its initial investment amounts to 20-40 per cent of the overall project costs. GDC relies on government funds and international development banks to fund this stage. For the upcoming project at Menengai, the African Development Bank, French Agency for Development and the government provided funding.
The relationship between the state and development banks has worked well so far. The projects are bankable, produce clean power and development agencies are likely to get their money back – all important characteristics for development banks with strict lending mandates. However, even development agencies have their limits and this is likely to constrict Kenya's ability to deliver its programme on the scale that it wants to.
Private developers are required to pay for the construction of the project in return for an equity stake and a share of the proceeds from the sale of power under an agreement that lasts in excess of 20 years. This can be a good deal. However, while in the past the government offered a guarantee, now it won't. "I don't think that a sovereign guarantee is really necessary," says Davis Chirchir. "The demand is there and the country is stable. There is no real reason to look at sovereign guarantees." In the project documents for the Suswa plant, GDC says:
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