Alten Solar Power Station
Alten Solar Power Station, also Kesses 1 Solar Power Station, is a 44 megawatts (59,000 hp) solar power plant in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community.[1][2]
| Alten Solar Power Station | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Kesses 1 Solar Power Station |
| Country | Kenya |
| Location | Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County |
| Coordinates | 00°24′47″N 35°24′04″E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | January 2020 |
| Commission date | June 2023 |
| Construction cost | US$87 million |
| Owner(s) | Alten Energías Renovables of Spain |
| Operator(s) | Alten Kenya Solarfarms BV |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Site area | 10 hectares (25 acres) |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 44 megawatts (59,000 hp) |
Location
The power station is located outside the city of Eldoret, in Uasin Gishu County, approximately 312 kilometres (194 mi), by road, north-west of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya.[3] The solar farm will sit on approximately 10 hectares (25 acres) of former farmland,[1] approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi), south-east of Eldoret and about one kilometer east of Eldosol Solar Power Station and Radiant Solar Power Station.[4]
Overview
Kenya has ambitions to electrify 100 percent of the country's population, up from 70 percent in 2017. This development and the 50 megawatts Kopere Solar Power Station, together with the 55 megawatts Garissa Solar Power Station, owned by Kenya Rural Electrification Authority, are aimed to diversify Kenya electricity sources, given the unpredictability of hydro-power in this East African country.[5] This power station is expected to supply 123 GWh of energy annually, enough to meet the energy needs of over 245,000 Kenyan homes.[1]
Developers
The power station is owned by Alten Energías Renovables (Alten Renewable Energy), a European independent power producer with two other solar project developments in Kenya, Kesses 2 and Kopere.[1][6]
Alten has 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 will be sold to electricity distributor Kenya Power and Lighting Company via a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).[1][6]
Funding
Standard Bank of South Africa, Stanbic Bank of Kenya and CIB Bank will jointly provide a syndicated loan of US$41 million. The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), of the United Kingdom will lend US$35 million towards his project.[1][7]
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.[7]
Construction timeline
Construction started in January 2020, with commissioning expected in late 2021 or early 2022.[1] 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.[8]
The solar farm was commercially commissioned with capacity of 44 MW in June 2023.[2]
References
- Alten Energy (2020). "Kenya: Eldoret Kesses1 (55MW) Under Construction And Kesses2 (55MW) In Development". Alten-Energy.com. Madrid, Spain. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- Kevin Rotich (20 June 2023). "Alten Kenya Commissions 40 MW Kesses Solar Facility". Capital FM Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Google (23 June 2023). "Road Distance Between Nairobi, Kenya And Alten Solar Power Station (Kesses 1), Kenya" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Mariyana Yaneva (27 October 2018). "Three investors advance 120 MW solar power projects in Kenya". Renewablesnow.com. Sofia Bulgaria. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Brian Ngugi (27 May 2018). "French firm inks 50 MW solar electricity purchase deal". Daily Nation. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Alten Renewable Energy (2018). "Alten Renewable Energy: Projects in Kenya". Alten Renewable Energy. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- Jean Marie Takouleu (8 February 2022). "Kenya: Alten closes financing for its 55 MWp Kesses solar PV plant". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- Jean Marie Takouleu (9 September 2022). "Kenya: Voltalia and Trina complete the installation of the Kesses solar power plant". Afrik21.africa. Paris France. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
External links
- Voltalia signs power sale contract for 50 MW solar power plant in Kenya As of 30 May 2018.