President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday presided over the launch of the largest Wind Farm in Africa. The Windpower station consists of 365 turbines mounted on the shores of Lake Turkana, each with a capacity to generate 850Kw. The project is expected to add to the national grid 13 percent of the electricity generated in Kenya.
Kenya generates 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources such as wind power, hydropower, and geothermal power.
“Kenya is without a doubt on course to be a global leader in renewable energy,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta during the launch. The country aims to produce 100 percent of its energy from renewable supplies by 2020.
The Wind Farm is a private-owned project operated by a group of companies under the name Lake Turkana Wind Power Project. It cost $775 million (KSh80 billion) to develop and was funded by the African Development Bank, East African Development Bank, European Investment Fund, Nedbank Capital, Norfund, among others.
The wind power project is expected to bring down electricity costs and increase energy access in areas that lack electricity.
