Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Kenyans are set to enjoy cheaper electricity from September when the region’s largest renewable energy plant is completed.
The
Garissa Solar Plant, whose completion date has been revised from
December to September, will generate about 76,473 Megawatts of power a
year, which the government says will bring down the cost of electricity
to 5.4 cents per unit. It will also help lessen the carbon footprint by
reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere by about 43,000 tonnes,
says the government.
“We are ahead of schedule and by
September it will be on the grid and will then push the cost of power
down to 5.4 cents per unit,” said Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles
Keter.
The plant consists of about 210,210 PV panels —
300,000 photovoltaic (PV) solar system — of 260 watts each, sitting on
85 hectares, and will be able to generate power capable of lighting
around 625,000 homes.
“This is the biggest project in the East African region. It is a
break from over-reliance on hydroelectric and geothermal power. Our
focus now is on green energy and there can never be any better choice
than this,” the minister told the Sunday Nation.
The
construction of the solar plant is the result of an initiative by the
national government to encourage private investors to put money in solar
energy in line with the policy on wind, biomass, small hydro,
geothermal, biogas and solar passed by the government in 2010.
The
policy, which was revised in 2012, has initially received low response
from investors. Construction of the plant is being done by the China
Jiangxi International Kenya Ltd engineers.
“The
response from private investors was low especially for large scale solar
projects who felt the tariffs were insufficient for projects to be
viable since they indicated that they do not cover full operational
cost, low indexing at 12 per cent which does not match increase on cost
incurred, land acquisition, taxation among others,” said Mr Keter.
Data
from the ministry indicates that Garissa was until recently powered by a
mini-grid, but was connected to the national grid power recently.
As
a result, the government says there are plans to extend transmission
lines to other areas, including Garissa- Wajir and Garissa-Garsen. This
extension is part of what informed the decision to build the power plant
in the area.
“Other than boosting the national grid,
there are other immediate benefits like offering employment
opportunities to the locals and generally the country,” he said.
Other
benefits of the project include improved electricity generation and
reduced reliance on fossil fuels, savings in foreign exchange on
importation of fuel for power generation, significant contributor to the
government target of lower cost of power.
In the deal,
the power purchase agreement to be signed with Kenya Power is fixed as
opposed to private solar, which would enjoy an escalable tariff,
technical service (operation and maintenance) for two years, provision
of technology transfer to the Rural Electrification Authority (REA)
through capacity building.
REA chairman Simon Gicharu
said upon completion the solar plant will boost the manufacturing
sector, one of the four pillars of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s economic
revival strategy.
“Clean energy will drive sustainable
economic growth and lift the masses out of poverty,” Dr Gicharu told the
Sunday Nation on Friday.
Solar plants are
environmentally friendly and have minimal operating and maintenance
expenses compared to the traditional diesel stations. REA plans to put
more focus on renewable energy for electrification of off-grid areas and
households that are far away from the grid.
“To
guarantee a most prolonged service life of the solar farm, Garissa Solar
Power Plant elected to work with only the best companies in the world
in respective areas,” REA said in a statement to the Sunday Nation.
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