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The Kipeto Wind Farm has been connected to the Kenyan national grid via a 17km transmission line to the Isinaya substation.
- When fully operational, the project will supply 100MW to the grid.
- The project was completed in about two years from financial close.
Kipeto Energy Plc (KEP) has connected the Kipeto wind farm to the Kenyan national grid. Power generation is expected to commence at the farm next week. The farm has been connected via a 17km (220KV) high voltage transmission line, connecting it to the Isinya Substation.
The Kipeto wind farm is located in Kajiado county and is Kenya’s second-largest wind power project. The facility comprises of 60 GE 1.7-103 wind turbines, each capable of producing 1.7MW. The turbines will be switched on in stages in a gradual ramp-up process—the project has since signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the national utility company KPLC.
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When operating on full capacity, the plant will increase its energy capacity by 100MW, enough to power about 250,000 households, a key step towards achieving Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Big Four Agenda.
The project’s construction phase created about 800 jobs with additional 60 permanent jobs expected to be created in the operational phase. The company has also established a Community Trust to distribute the profits from the turbines to the larger area even as about 200 families will benefit directly from the revenue from citing the turbines on their land.
The project which reached financial close in December of 2018 took about two years to construct and is funded by equity from Actis-backed BioTherm Energy (88%), Kenyan company Craftskills Ltd (12%) alongside senior debt from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).