The Kamburu Hydroelectric Power Station, also Kamburu Dam is a rock-filled
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...
on the
Tana River in Kenya which straddles the border of
Embu
Embu may refer to:
Places
; in Brazil
* Embu das Artes
* Embu-Guaçu
; in Kenya
* Embu, Kenya
* Embu County
Other
*Embu people of Kenya
*Embu language, the Bantu language spoken by them
{{Disamb, geo ...
and
Machakos Counties in
Eastern Province. The primary purpose of the dam is
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power generation and it supports a 93
MW power station. Construction on the dam began in 1971 and it was completed in 1975, with the power station getting commissioned the same year. US$23 million of the US$47 million project cost was provided by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
. The power station is operated by the
Kenya Electricity Generating Company
Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC abbreviated to KenGen, is a government enterprise in the Republic of Kenya charged with the production of electricity for the country. KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating ...
and is part of the
Seven Forks Scheme.
The tall dam creates a reservoir with a storage capacity of . The power station is
located underground just below the left toe and contains three 31 MW
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The pro ...
-generators. The difference in elevation between the reservoir and power station affords a net
hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a measurement related to liquid pressure (normalized by specific weight) and the liquid elevation above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22, eq.3.2a.
It is usually meas ...
of . Water discharged from the power station travels down a long tailrace tunnel before reaching the Tana at
Gitaru Reservoir.
See also
*
Masinga Dam
Masinga Hydroelectric Power Station, also Masinga Dam, is an embankment dam on the Tana River, the longest river in Kenya and straddles the border of Embu and Machakos Counties in Eastern Province and is located about 106 km. (66 mi.), ...
– upstream
*
Gitaru Dam
The Gitaru Hydroelectric Power Station, also known as the Gitaru Dam, is a rock and earth-filled embankment dam on the Tana River in Kenya. It straddles the border between Embu and Machakos Counties in the former Eastern Province. The primar ...
– downstream
*
List of power stations in Kenya
The following page lists power stations in Kenya.
Geothermal
Hydroelectric
Fossil fuels: oil, coal, and gas
Wind
Solar
See also
*Energy in Kenya
* List of largest power stations in the world
* List of power stations in Africa ...
*
List of hydropower stations in Africa
This is a list of articles listing power stations around the world by countries or regions. A power station (also referred to as a generating station, power plant, powerhouse or generating plant) is an industrial place for the generation of electr ...
References
{{Tana River (Kenya) dams
Energy infrastructure completed in 1974
Hydroelectric power stations in Kenya
Dams on the Tana River (Kenya)
Dams in Kenya
Dams completed in 1974
Underground power stations
Machakos County
Embu County
Rock-filled dams