Markets & Finance

Bluesea eyes Meru 40-megawatt wind power plant

ngong

KenGen’s wind farm in Ngong. Photo/FILE

Bluesea Energy plans to put up a 40-megawatt wind power plant in Meru, making it the second firm to target the county.

The Kenyan firm published a notice on Thursday for public discussion, joining Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) in investing in the region.

KenGen last December disclosed intention to set up a 100-megawatt wind farm as it seeks to increase the proportion of renewable energy in its production mix. It is targeting production of 3,000 megawatts by 2018, from hydro, geothermal and wind.

“Notice is hereby given that Bluesea Energy Limited…will make an application to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the electric power generation licence…to generate power and connect to the national grid at Ntumburi Meru County (40-megawatt wind power),” said Bluesea director of marketing Anthony Ng’ang’a in the notice.

ERC director of electricity Joe Ng’ang’a said the regulator is waiting to receive the application.

“The law requires that a company advertises in at least two newspapers of national circulation, to notify that they will apply for a licence in the following 15 days so that anyone with an objection can raise it,” said Mr Ng’ang’a.

The Nairobi-based Bluesea Energy, which was formed in 2009, is aiming to generate 200 megawatts of wind power in the Meru/Isiolo area (100 megawatts) and Lambwe Valley in South Nyanza (100 megawatts) by 2017.

Geologists and meteorologists have in the past said that Kenya has the potential to produce at least 800 megawatts of wind energy.

READ: KenGen plans to set up 100MW wind farm in Meru

It costs between Sh166 million and Sh207 million to produce one megawatt from wind power while a megawatt generated from hydro costs between Sh166 million and Sh250 million, according to the Ministry of Energy.

Among the major wind power projects planned include the 300 megawatt Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project, which is slated to come online in 2017.

The LTWP project last month received a Sh21.75 billion backing from the US, its biggest grant to Kenya’s clean renewable energy bid. The funds will be channelled through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

OPIC is among the organisations spearheading the Power Africa initiative started by US President Barrack Obama, which will provide Sh130 billion ($1.5 billion) to African energy projects over the next five years.

Last year, OPIC also injected Sh17 billion into the Kipeto wind project, which is being implemented by US conglomerate General Electric, a major supplier of wind power turbines.

Others are the 61-megawatt Kinangop wind project by Aeolus Kenya, KenGen’s 25.5-megawatt Ngong wind farm, Prunus Energy’s 50 megawatts wind farm in the Ngong Hills, and the 90-megawatt Electrawinds project in Mpeketoni, Lamu.