Meru will host Africa’s first large scale hybrid wind, solar, and battery renewable energy system. The project comes after the Kenya Investment Authority and the county government signed an MoU with Windlab and Eurus energy to build the energy facility.
The energy project will provide 80MW of clean energy through its 20 wind turbines and over 40,000 solar panels. This is another win for Kenya from the TICAD 7 conference. Earlier this week, TICAD led to a partnership between Yamaha and Astral Aerial to promote drone technology in Kenya.
The project dubbed “Meru County energy Park” will bring Kshs 15.52 billion ($ 150 million) to the county. CS Monica Juma and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe signed the MoU of the project, which will commence in 2021. Speaking at the signing of the MoU, Windlab’s Global CEO Roger Price expressed Windlab’s anticipation of the project.
“We are excited to bring world-leading innovation in the renewable energy sector and project development expertise to Meru County,” said the CEO.
A win for Meru and the Big Four
First, the MoU will enhance the achievement of the midterm agenda of the Big Four. Moreso, Meru Energy Park will promote sustainable energy production. KenInvest’s CEO noted that “…promotion of predictable and sustainable renewable energy is vital to guarantee the achievement of the Manufacturing Pillar. As a result, we welcome Windlab and Eurus Energy to invest in Meru. We shall offer the partners all the support to deliver the project.”
Secondly, the hybrid energy project is the Meru County Investment development Corporation’s (MCIDC) flagship project. Some of its benefits include reliable energy for over 200,000 homes. Furthermore, locals will incur other benefits arising through its implementation. Besides, the local county government will own part of the project when it is operational.
Lastly, the implementations of the public-private partnership project will include a knowledge transfer as well as capacity-building efforts.
