Developers BTE Renewables and Craftskills have completed the 100MW Kipeto wind farm in Kajiado county, south of Nairobi. The project has now started delivering full power to the Kenyan grid.
With its 60 GE 1.7-103 turbines, the wind farm is Kenya’s second largest, after the 310MW Lake Turkana project. It achieved financial close in December 2018, was connected to the grid in January 2021 and has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Kenyan utility, KPLC.
“Today is a proud day for Kipeto and the local community of Kajiado as we enter into commercial operation after a 12-year journey,” said Craftskills’ director Kenneth Namunje.
“I am very grateful for the ongoing support of the community of Kajiado, which has been paramount for our success.”
The project is funded by equity from BTE Renewables (88%) and Craftskills Limited (12%), alongside senior debt from the US Government’s International Development Finance Corporation, and African Trade Insurance Agency.
BTE Renewables (formerly BioTherm Energy) is a pan-African renewable energy developer with nearly 400MW of wind and solar projects in operation in South Africa and Kenya. The company was acquired by emerging markets investor Actis in 2019.
Craftskills is a Kenyan-owned wind turbine company founded in 2008.
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