Alten Solar Power Station, also Kesses 1 Solar Power Station, is a

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

power plant in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, the largest economy in the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation in East Africa. The EAC's membership consists of eight states: Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, S ...

Location

The power station is located outside the city of

Eldoret Eldoret is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Located in western Kenya and lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about at the Eldoret International Air ...

, in

Uasin Gishu County Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret city has the county's largest population centre as well as its administrative and commercial centre. It is bordered by Elgeyo-Marakwet to t ...

, approximately , by road, north-west of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, the capital and largest city in Kenya. The solar farm will sit on approximately of former farmland, approximately , south-east of Eldoret and about one kilometer east of Eldosol Solar Power Station and Radiant Solar Power Station.

Overview

Kenya has ambitions to electrify 100 percent of the country's population, up from 70 percent in 2017. This development and the 50 megawatt Kopere Solar Power Station, together with the 55 megawatt

Garissa Solar Power Station Garissa Power Station is a solar power plant in Kenya. Location The power station is located in Garissa County about , north of the town of Garissa. This is approximately by road, north-east of Nairobi, the country's capital and largest city. ...

, owned by Kenya Rural Electrification Authority, are aimed to diversify Kenya electricity sources, given the unpredictability of hydro-power in this East African country. This power station is expected to supply 123 GWh of energy annually, enough to meet the energy needs of over 245,000 Kenyan homes.

Developers

The power station is owned by Alten Energías Renovables (Alten Renewable Energy), a European

independent power producer An independent power producer (IPP) or non-utility generator (NUG) is an entity that is not a public utility but owns facilities to generate electric power for sale to utilities and end users. NUGs may be privately held facilities, corporations ...

with two other solar project developments in Kenya, Kesses 2 and Kopere. Alten notified Kenyan authorities that the French company Voltalia was selected by the owners to carry out the construction as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, as well as the operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor for the plant. The power is sold to electricity distributor

Kenya Power and Lighting Company Kenya Power and Lighting Company, commonly referred to as Kenya Power or shortened KPLC, is a public liability company which transmits, distributes and retails electricity to customers throughout Kenya. Location KPLC headquarters are at Stima ...

via a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

Funding

Standard Bank of South Africa Standard Bank (officially Standard Bank Group Limited) is the largest bank in Africa, as well as the continent's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is located in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The ...

, Stanbic Bank of Kenya and CIB Bank jointly provided a

syndicated loan A syndicated loan is one that is provided by a group of lenders and is structured, arranged, and administered by one or several commercial banks or investment banks known as lead arrangers. The syndicated loan market is the dominant way for l ...

of US$41 million. The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) of the United Kingdom lent US$35 million towards his project.

Transmission

The 230kV high voltage transmission line between Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station and the Kenya Power substation at Lessos, passes over this solar farm. The power generated at this solar farm will be injected into the Kenyan grid at the point where that 230kV line crosses the solar farm.

Construction timeline

Construction started in January 2020, with commissioning expected in late 2021 or early 2022. In September 2022, Afrik21.africa reported that the installation of the power station hardware was complete. After the mandatory performance tests and calibrations, the solar farm was expected to come online during the fourth quarter of 2022. The solar farm was commercially commissioned with a capacity of 44 MW in June 2023.

References

External links

Voltalia signs power sale contract for 50 MW solar power plant in Kenya
As of 30 May 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alten Solar Power Station Solar power stations in Kenya Uasin Gishu County 2023 establishments in Kenya Buildings and structures in Kenya Energy infrastructure completed in 2023