US solar firm gets nod for 40MW Kisumu plant

A US clean energy company has set a three-year target to start selling power to the national grid after getting the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) green light to generate and sell electricity.

Ergon Solair Africa Ltd, an American-Kenyan solar developer operating in Africa and an affiliate of Ergon Solair PBC (USA), is developing the Kisumu Solar One 40 megawatts.

It said following the regulatory nod it has set a target for commissioning of the full 40 MWAC project in December 2023 with a power purchase agreement (PPA) set to be negotiated.

The project, which began in 2013, was granted a PPA in 2019 at Sh7.94 or US cents 7.5 /kWh feed-in tariff, it said.

Energy generation

Feasibility studies had earlier been completed for the construction of the project on a 249-acre roadside land in Kibos, Kisumu. The plant will interconnect to the new 220KV Kibos substation located in the vicinity.

The plant estimated the first year of energy generation at 105.264 MWh.

“We are grateful to the Kenya government for approving this project in Kisumu County that we believe will energise numerous investments and activities, offering an important contribution towards sustainable development of the region,” said Lorenzo L. Colacicchi, founder of Ergon Solair and Global CEO Ergon Solair Africa Senior vice president for Africa, Alberto Soprani, said the project comes as a big boost for the region.

“As a Kenyan who has been involved in solar energy for the last 30 years, I am delighted and deeply honoured for having been given this opportunity to be involved in such an important project in Kisumu, an area of Kenya which has a great thirst for energy and development,” he said.

“Our dream of turning this delightful town on the tropical shores of Lake Victoria into a ‘Solar City’ is going to come true. It is very important for Kenya to have many such ‘solar hotspots’, it creates a solid foundation of prosperity and freedom for our country.”