Kenergy Renewables Company, an independent power producer (IPP), has recently signed an agreement with the Laikipia County Government to build a 40 MWp solar photovoltaic plant in Rumuruti Township.
A little more is known about the Kenergy Renewables Company’s solar photovoltaic project in Laikipia County, central Kenya. A framework agreement for this project has been signed between this independent power producer (IPP) and the Laikipia County Government. It plans to install the solar photovoltaic power plant in the Rumuruti canton, the county’s capital.
The local government has already guaranteed a plot of land of more than 121 hectares for the installation of the components of the solar power plant, which will have a production capacity of 40 MWp. According to Khilna Dodhia, Executive Director and co-founder of Kenergy Renewables Company, the construction of the solar power plant will take 10 months and will create “100 direct jobs among local populations during the construction phase. Once completed, 20 people will be employed to operate the facility”.
Ha went on to say that Kenergy Renewables will “cover all production costs, while the county government will be required to provide the necessary assistance, including for the acquisition of permits for the solar power plant”.
To obtain permits, the IPP already has several cards in hand, since it has previously concluded an agreement with the central government in Nairobi. He even signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the state-owned Kenya Power (KPLC). The latter will buy the kWh of electricity at $0.08.
The construction of the Laikipia solar photovoltaic power plant will require an investment of 6 billion Kenyan shillings (more than $52 million). Kenergy Renewables will finance this project with a loan from Norfund, the Norwegian Government Investment Fund. The company created in 2011 is also supported by Scatec Solar, an IPP known for its many solar projects in Africa.
Jean Marie Takouleu
