Kisumu Solar Power Station

Kisumu Solar Power Station
Country	Kenya
Location	Kibos, Kisumu, Kisumu County
Coordinates	00°04′20″S 34°48′54″E
Status	Proposed
Construction began	August 2023
Commission date	2024 Expected
Construction cost	US$52 million
Owner	Kisumu One Solar Limited
Solar farm
Type	Flat-panel PV
Site area	249 hectares (620 acres)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	40 MW (54,000 hp)

The Kisumu Power Station, also Kisumu One Solar Power Station, is a 40 MW (54,000 hp) solar power plant under development in Kenya. It is owned by Ergon Solair Africa (ESA), based in Nairobi, Kenya. ESA is a subsidiary of Ergon Solair PBC, an American independent power producer, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The off-taker is the national electricity distribution company, Kenya Power and Lighting Company, under a long-term power purchase agreement.[1][2]

Location

The power station would sit on 249 hectares (620 acres) of roadside land, in Kibos, an industrial neighborhood in the city of Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya.[1][3] Kibos is located approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) northeast of the central business district of Kisumu City.[4]

Overview

The design calls for a ground-mounted solar farm, sitting on 249 hectares (620 acres), with capacity generation of 40 megawatts. Its output is to be sold directly to Kenya Power Limited for integration into the national grid. The power is to be evacuated to a 220 kV substation near the solar farm, where it will enter the grid. It is expected that this power station will add 105.3 MWh of electricity to the national grid annually.[1][5][6]

Developers

The table below illustrates the ownership of Kisumu One Solar Limited, the special purpose vehicle company that owns and is developing the solar farm.[5]

Kisumu One Solar Limited Ownership

Rank	Shareholder	Domicile	Percentage	Notes
1	Ergon Solair Africa	Kenya		[5]

• Note: On this project, Ergon Solair PBC is working through its wholly owned Kenyan subsidiary Ergon Solair Africa Limited.[1][2][3]

Construction costs and timeline

The construction costs have been reported as approximately US$64 million (about KSh. 7.6 billion in August 2022). Construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2022. Commercial commissioning is anticipated in December 2023.[1] On 8 August 2022, Afrik21.africa, reported that construction of the power station had started.[7]

Other considerations

It has been reported that the PPA between Kenya Power and the owners of this power station will be at US$0.0575) for every 1kiloWatthour (1kWh)," basis.[5][6]

See also

• List of power stations in Kenya

References

1. Carmen (1 February 2022). "Kisumu Solar One PV Park, Kenya". Power-Technology.com. New York City. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
2. Jean Marie Takouleu (10 April 2020). "Kenya: Ergon Solair to build 40 MWp solar power plant in Kisumu". Paris, France. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
3. Angeline Ochieng (4 August 202). "Uhuru sets stage for Sh6bn US firm's investment in Kisumu solar plant". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
4. "Road Distance Between Kisumu, Kenya And Kibos, Kenya" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
5. Jean Marie Takouleu (25 June 2022). "Kenya: Kisumu solar power plant (40 MWp) to be operational by December 2023". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
6. Construction Review Online (14 August 2021). "40MWp solar power plant to be set up in Kisumu, Kenya". Construction Review Online. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
7. Benoit-Ivan Wansi (8 August 2022). "Kenya: Construction of the Kisumu solar photovoltaic power plant (40 MWp) begins". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 8 August 2022.

External links

• Kenya: Ergon Solar gets the green light for the construction of its solar power plant in Kisumu As of 9 April 2020.