Kenya’s KPLC to hybridize 23 diesel mini-grids

Kenya’s public liability company Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has announced plans to hybridize diesel mini-grids some of which have been in operation since the early 1908s.

The company which transmits, distributes, and retails electricity to customers throughout the East African country said the project is part of the Kenya off-grid retrofitting program. Until recently, all sites were using diesel generators sets, though some do have an existing mix of solar and wind turbines. The electric utility has hitherto issued a procurement notice for the implementation of the project.

Applications for prequalification from eligible and interested candidates have to be addressed to the General Manager, Legal, Regulatory Affairs & Company Secretary, KPLC, and delivered to the KPLC offices at Stima Plaza in Nairobi.

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Scope of work

The scope of work requires the successful candidates to supply, install and commission either solar PV or wind energy components to diesel mini-grids under category A with the 2 diesel stations identified as 540 KVA in Dadaab (wind-solar) and 640 KVA in Maikona (wind).

Under category B the retrofit should be done with solar PV only for 21 locations with existing diesel capacity of the station ranging between 2,320 KVA and 50 KVA. The government of Kenya through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has received credit from the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD), a public financial institution that works under the French government to fight poverty and promote sustainable development, towards the cost of retrofitting the diesel mini-grids with renewable energy.

By facilitating the transformation to cleaner and more secure power generation through projects such as these, the Kenyan government hopes that it can leverage renewable resources to help eliminate power shortages, bring electricity and development opportunities to rural villages, spur on industrial growth and support increased prosperity across the nation.