Kenya is on track to add up to 600MW of new wind capacity over the next six years, as more of its people get access to power for the first time, according to a senior GE executive at the WindEurope 2019 conference in Bilbao.
“We expect to see a slowdown of the government accepting PPAs on solar,” said GE Renewable Energy regional executive for Sub-Saharan Africa Deo Onyango.
“However, on the wind side there is a huge, huge opportunity.”
Onyango said GE expected Kenya to added between 50MW and 100MW of wind every year for the next five-to-six years.
Among projects in development is the 102MW Kipeto facility, which will feature 60 GE 1.7-103 machines and is expected to come online in 2020.
Onyango said feed-in tariffs in Kenya had reduced to about 11 cents per kilowatt hour from 12 cents/kWh five years ago, though the government recently set a price cap of around seven cents/kWh.
“On the demand side, for sure there’s a continued increase in demand for power with industry, with the population and with access as well,” Onyango added.
WindEurope 2019 runs from 2 to 4 April.