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KenGen to add 10MW at its Ngong wind farm

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Energy secretary Charles Keter. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) #ticker:KEGN will increase power output from its Ngong wind farm by 10 megawatts through construction of additional turbines.

KenGen generates 25 megawatts of wind power from the farm commissioned in 2008.

“The proponent (KenGen is proposing to construct a 10 megawatts Ngong Phase Three A wind project at Ngong Hills in Kajiado West sub-county,” says an environmental impact assessment study report KenGen filed with the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) for the project.

“The project will involve the design, manufacture, transportation, installation, testing and commissioning of the wind farm project by KenGen.”

The Ngong wind farm sits on about 80-hectare piece of land, which the company has leased from the Kenya Forest Service.

KenGen, which has an installed energy capacity of 1,631 megawatts, expects to generate another 410 megawatts from wind, 2,029 megawatts from geothermal and 90 megawatts from hydro power by 2028. Another 40 megawatts will be sourced from solar energy pushing the firm’s capacity to 4,200 megawatts, raising KenGen’s stock of green energy.

Wind and solar power producers, however, face uncertain times after the State announced a freeze on the signing of new power purchase agreements.

The Energy ministry recently said Kenya would freeze deals with power generators from the two intermittent sources.

Energy secretary Charles Keter said there is a need to balance the level of the intermittent sources of power — wind and solar — in the national grid to guarantee stability.

“The freeze on new power purchase agreement will mainly affect wind and power producers since they are not very stable sources and we cannot afford to have a huge portion of our generation mix from them,” he said.