A consortium formed by Iberdrola Ingeniería (40%) and Gamesa (60%) has been awarded the contract to build a 13.6 MW wind farm in Kenya for €20 million. The new facility will be located in Ngong, about 30 kilometres from Nairobi, with construction expected to be completed within 18 months.

This turnkey project was awarded by Kenya's national power company, Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen), and includes the engineering, supply, construction and commissioning of the wind farm. Called 'Ngong II', the farm will have 16 Gamesa G52 turbines and will be financed with Spain's development aid fund (Fondos de Ayuda al Desarrollo or FAD).

Iberdrola Ingeniería, which in recent years has become the group's technological core, has had operations in Kenya since 2006. It has a sales office in the country's capital, Nairobi, manned by staff relocated from Spain.

Between then and the end of 2009, it carried out a project entailing the automation of KenGen's hydro plants and the construction of a control centre for this company. The project implied significant technology transfer for Kenya and extensive training periods for Kenyan workers.

For Gamesa it meant the company's arrival in Kenya, in line with its strategy of penetrating new markets and customers. Planning to stay in Kenya over the long term, the IBERDROLA subsidiary is currently considering participating in more wind projects, as well as other projects related to power networks and geothermal plants.

Tags: Iberdrola Renovables