The Rumuruti Solar Power Station is a

solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...

plant under development 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. ...

Location

The power station is located in the town of

Rumuruti Rumuruti is a town in Laikipia County in Kenya's former Rift Valley Province. It is approximately 40 kilometers due north of Nyahururu, on the Nyahururu- Maralal road ( A4). Despite being smaller than either Nanyuki or Nyahururu, which are on the ...

, the county headquarters of

Laikipia County Laikipia County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located on the Equator in the former Rift Valley Province. Laikipia is a cosmopolitan county and is listed as county number 31. The county has two major urban centres: Nanyuki to the southea ...

, approximately , by road, north 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 of Kenya. The government of Laikipia County has provided , on which the power station will be built.

Overview

In June 2018, Kenergy Renewalables Limited, a Kenyan solar energy company, signed a sales agreement with the Kenyan government for sale of 40 megawatts of electricity for a twenty-year contract period.

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 ...

, the Kenyan electricity distribution company, shall pay US$0.08 per kilowatt hour for the 20-year duration of the contract.

Developers

The developers of this power station include the following stakeholders (a) Kenergy Renewables Limited, a Kenyan company founded in 2011, that manages development activities before and during construction, including permitting, procurement, engineering and financing (b)

Norfund Norfund is a development finance institution established by the Norwegian Storting (parliament) in 1997 and owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fund receives its investment capital from the state budget, and surpluses in the port ...

, the Norwegian Fund for Developing Countries and (c) Scatec Solar, a solar products manufacturer based in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The three investors in the project formed a special purpose vehicle company to develop, construct, and operate the solar power station. The SPV company is called Rumuruti Solar Generation Holding. The SPV company is registered in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The ownership of the SPV company is as illustrated in the table below: In August 2020, ''Afrik21.africa'' reported that Scatec and Norfund, both from Norway, withdrew from the project, because "the development timelines were too long".

Construction costs and funding

It is estimated that construction will cost at least US$60 million, and possibly as high as US$70 million. The majority of the construction costs are expected to be borrowed. The company owner/developers requested a "letter of support" from the government which will provide clarity on when the plant will become operational, to convince potential lenders to loan the money. In October 2019, the governor of Laikipia County,

Ndiritu Muriithi Ndiritu Muriithi is a Kenyan politician and former Governor of Laikipia County. He was elected in the August 2017 general elections as an Independent Candidate after he failed to clinch the Jubilee Alliance nominations ticket. He was elected as ...

and the

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Kenergy Renewables, Ms. Khilna Dodhia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will govern the construction of this power station. Construction is expected to start at the beginning of 2020, and last 10 months.

References

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External links