| KenGen Floating Solar Power Station | |
| Country: | Kenya |
| Coordinates: | -0.8075°N 37.685°W |
| Location: | Kamburu Dam, Machakos County |
| Status: | P |
| Construction Began: | H2 2024 Expected |
| Owner: | Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) |
| Operator: | KenGen |
| Solar Type: | PV |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 42.5MW |
The KenGen Floating Solar Power Station (KFSPS), is a planned 42.5MW solar power plant in Kenya.[1]
The power station is planned on the Tana River, adjacent to the Kamburu Dam, in Machakos County.[2] Kamburu Dam is located approximately 140km (90miles) by road north-east of Nairobi, the country's capital and largest city.
In 2020, KenGen the national parastatal electricity utility company of Kenya carried out a pre-feasibility study for a floating solar farm adjacent to two dams in the Seven Forks group; namely Kamburu and Kiambere as well as Turkwel in Turkana County.[3] That study selected Kamburu due to multiple factors including cost, steady water levels, road accessibility and proximity to transmission infrastructure.[4]
The pre-feasibility study was funded by the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German state-owned investment and development bank, based in Frankfurt. The study was executed by Multiconsult, the Norwegian consulting engineering firm.[3] The solar farm will be deployed during the day, especially in the dry season. This will preserve the water to generate hydropower during the night.[1]
The power station is under development by Kenya Electricity Generation Company, who own it, in collaboration with the French Development Agency.[1]
It is anticipated that construction will commence in H2 2024, last 28 months and conclude in H2 2026.[1] In January 2024, KenGen solicited bids from qualified companies and consortia to provide consulting services for the "supervision and management of the 42.5MW" solar power plant.[5]