https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Business|Construction|Energy|Engineering|Financial|Generator|Power|PROJECT|Projects|Renewable Energy|Renewable-Energy|Solar|Turbines|Turbines
Africa|Business|Construction|Energy|Engineering|Financial|Generator|Power|PROJECT|Projects|Renewable Energy|Renewable-Energy|Solar|Turbines|Turbines
africa|business|construction|energy|engineering|financial|generator|power|project|projects|renewable-energy|renewable-energy-company|solar|turbines-company|turbines-person

Wartsila wins contract to build two Kenyan solar-power farms

8th November 2018

By: Bloomberg

  

Font size: - +

Wartsila Oyj’s East African unit won two engineering, procurement and construction contracts to develop grid-connected solar farms in Kenya, each with a capacity of 40 megawatts.

Construction is expected to begin next year, according to George Oywer, a business development manager at Wartsila Eastern Africa.

The East African nation, which has an electricity supply deficit, is boosting production from renewable sources including wind and geothermal as it cuts reliance on expensive diesel-powered plants. There are about 15 utility-scale solar projects announced in Kenya with a total capacity of 526 megawatts, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Wartsila said one of its project in Kesses, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi, is owned by Alten Renewable Energy Developments BV and financial close is expected by March 2019.

“This will be our first solar project in the eastern Africa region,” Oywer said by phone. “Renewable energy is the next frontier.”

While Oywer declined to say how much the plants will cost, it takes an average $1 million dollars (874,889 euros) per megawatt to develop projects of that size.

The second plant is planned for the coastal Lamu region. The developer is negotiating a power-purchase agreement with Kenya Power Plc and the project should be connected in June 2020, he said. Wartsila has an option to take as much as a 19.9 percent stake in that farm, he said.

The Finnish power generator in the past supplied diesel turbines for four thermal projects in Kenya for a total 450 megawatts.

Separately, Kenya switched on its largest solar facility with installed capacity of 50 megawatts, Energy Secretary Charles Keter said by phone. The park in the semi-arid eastern county of Garissa is injecting 15 megawatts into the national grid and will run at full capacity in a week when commissioning tests are complete, he said.

Edited by Bloomberg

Comments

Showroom

Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd

Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa is sole distributors for Goodwin electrically driven, submersible, abrasion resistance slurry pumps.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
WearCheck
WearCheck

Leading condition monitoring specialists, WearCheck, help boost machinery lifespan and reduce catastrophic component failure through the scientific...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.075 0.126s - 162pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now