Kenya's 310-MW Lake Turkana wind farm to go live by Sep - report

The long-delayed 310-MW Lake Turkana wind project in Kenya is expected to be brought live by September, the Daily Nation reports, citing a top official of the country’s Energy Regulatory Commission.

Commissioning of the wind park was put off by the construction of the 428-km (266-mile) transmission line that will connect the plant to the power grid. Its construction has been lagging behind schedule for several years now as the main contractor on the project, Spanish energy and construction group Grupo Isolux Corsan SA, was experiencing financial difficulties. The wind park, itself, is fully built and ready for commissioning. Its construction was completed in March.

Robert Oimeke, director general of the Commission, was cited as saying that the Kenyan government has handed over the project to a Chinese contractor and a deal has been reached to spread late-completion payments. The transmission link is planned to be ready by the end of August, while the wind park is set to be switched on by September.

The KES-70-billion (USD 691 million/EUR 590m) 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 0.987/EUR 0.843)

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