Renewable

September 27 (Renewables Now) - The long-delayed 310-MW Lake Turkana wind farm in Kenya has exported its first power to the grid, the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co Ltd (KETRACO) announced.

Construction of the wind park was completed in March, while its commissioning was put off by the construction of the 428-km (266-mile) transmission link to the power grid. Building works related to the connection have been lagging behind schedule for several years as the main contractor on the project, Spanish energy and construction group Grupo Isolux Corsan SA, was experiencing financial difficulties.

Electricity from the wind farm is now flowing into the national power grid through the 400-kV Loiyangalani- Suswa transmission line, KETRACO tweeted last week. Meanwhile, wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems (CPH:VWS) confirmed that the park’s commissioning has started, marking this as “a strong signal” for renewables development in the region.

The KES-70-billion (USD 694 million/EUR 59m) complex, comprising 365 units of the Vestas V52-850 kW turbines, will be able to generate enough power for about 330,000 local homes, accounting for 15% of Kenya’s total power production.

(KES 100 = USD 0.991/EUR 0.844)