Kenya to Build Power Plants to Boost Electricity Supply in Meru County

Posted on : Wednesday, 15th January 2020

Kenya has disclosed plans to set up various power plants in Meru County as part of the county’s plan to boost business and provide electricity to all residents by 2040. This will support the county’s development for the next 20 years.

Foreseeing the county’s Vision 2040 blueprint, the main goal in the energy sector is to improve access to clean and sustainable energy by investing in a good mix of energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as investing in underground cabling power distribution infrastructure.

The document which has been under development over the past two years was recently introduced by the County Governor Kiraitu Murungi at the Kenya Methodist University (KeMU). It provides the road map for development through four pillars: economic, political, social and enablers, with a projected annual growth of 15%.

The project results in construction of solar and winds power plants under public-private partnerships to ensure that there is enough energy to drive development projects. There are also plans to renovate the various airstrips and build railway lines linking Meru and other counties to ease transport and link the agriculturally-rich region with markets throughout the country.

“Infrastructure is a critical anchor of development. The strategic objective is to boost productivity and profitability of all sectors through access to sustainable and affordable infrastructure for the purpose of realizing the overall vision,” said the governor.

Over 70% of Kenya’s electricity is generated from renewable clean energy sources. Of these, geothermal remains the most meanigful source as the country focuses on increasing geothermal capacity and weaning off thermal sources.