JOHANNESBURG – Kenya has boosted its power generation capacity and is one giant step closer to reaching its goal of 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2030 after it launched the continent’s largest wind farm.
Set to contribute 310MW to the national grid, the $680 million privately-funded Lake Turkana Wind Power project will increase the country’s power supply by about 13 percent, reducing the country’s reliance on thermal generated electricity, the Africa Oil and Power Corporation said in a press release.
With an energy mix that consists of 85 percent renewable energy, Kenya is considered one of the world’s leading countries in the development and implementation of clean energy – particularly in the geothermal sector.
Kenya’s installed capacity increased from 1,768MW in March 2013 to 2,712MW in 2019 through renewable energy projects including the Garissa solar power and Ngong wind power plants.
Further, in the last eight months, the country has saved its citizens over KES 8 billion ($77 million) as a result of a decreased reliance on diesel-generated thermal power.
“The African continent is increasingly tapping into its wind power potential in efforts to close the significant power gap,” said the press release.
“With world-class developments coming online in countries including South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, Africa is expected to considerably improve power access through the further integration of clean energy.”
