Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurates 50 MWp Garissa Solar Power Plant
The construction of 50 MWp Garissa Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant has been completed by China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation. The plant is recently being inaugurated in the presence of the authorities.
The new solar power plant in Kenya has inaugurated in the presence of the Head of State, Uhuru Kenyatta and the authorities of Garissa County. The solar photovoltaic plant was built by the China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation (CJIC).
The plant consists of 200,000 solar panels connected to inverters and installed on an area of 85 hectares. The system produces 50 MWp, Afrik21 noted. “I am very proud that the project has been successfully completed and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. We hope it will serve Kenya for the next 25 years,” Zhang Jian, representative of CJIC in Kenya said.
The Kenya Rural Electrification Authority developed the project. It has inked a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Kenya Power (KPLC) for 25 years. According to the contract, KPLC is set to buy a KWh of electricity at 12 shillings that is 8 shillings less than electricity generated from diesel, the main source of power in Garissa County.
The solar power plant is likely to supply 70,000 households in Garissa or around 350,000 people. The project required an investment of USD 13 billion, or just over USD 128.5 million.
Source: devdiscourse
