Kenya eyes wind energy potential

Kenya’s energy ministry said Friday that it has launched initiatives aimed at tapping the country’s wind energy potential. Principal Renewal Energy Officer Paul Mbuthi said the government is now focusing on wind energy to cater to the increased electricity demand in the country.

“Kenya has a wind energy potential of 3,000 megawatts (MW) and has already started work on 480MW,” Mbuthi told journalists ahead of the Kenya Sustainable Energy for All conference slated for next week in Nairobi.

Like many African countries, Kenya has been primarily dependent on hydro and fossil fuels but wind energy is expected to insulate the country’s power tariff by providing a low cost and consistent power source.

“The country is urbanizing faster than most regional countries hence there is the need to tap alternative sources of energy.” Mbuthi noted.

Apart from wind energy generation, Kenya is also encouraging investment in the geothermal sub-sector. The East African nation has a huge potential in geothermal energy and an estimated 630 MW of geothermal power has been connected to the national grid.