Kenya and the United Kingdom have once again delivered on commitments made at COP27 to combat climate change, create jobs and generate affordable power for Kenyans.
This is after a ground-breaking took place at Menengai Geothermal Power Plant, one of the six green investment projects – worth Sh500 billion – that were fast-tracked by President William Ruto and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the COP27 climate summit.
The project will be led by Globeleq, a UK company backed by British International Investment.
The geothermal plant is expected to generate 35MW of electricity, providing 750,000 Kenyans with affordable, clean energy.
During construction, it is expected that the project will create approximately 200 job opportunities for Kenyan workers. Upon operation, it will provide jobs for 35 to 40 permanent staff and contractors.
This makes it the second project to have construction commence. Exactly one month after the summit in Egypt, construction began at Nairobi Railway City – a green rail-centred urban regeneration project in central Nairobi.
These investments are flagship projects of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership – an ambitious five-year agreement which is unlocking mutual benefits for the UK and Kenya.
At the UK-hosted G7 in Carbis Bay two years ago, world leaders committed to build a new Global Partnership for Infrastructure.
These projects are examples of predictable, transparent and reliable investments by the UK, which do not load Kenya with unsustainable debt.
“This shows that the UK and Kenya go far when we go together – delivering mutual benefits for both our countries. This plant will both advance Kenya’s global leadership on climate change, and bring down the cost of power – showing that green growth is good for business, and good for Kenyans,” said outgoing UK High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott.
Other projects signed between the UK and Kenya also include Sh11.5 billion Nairobi Railway City investment whose construction began in December 2022 and the Sh7.5 billion Malindi Solar expansion – a 40 MW solar plant, constructed by UK company Globeleq.
There is also the Sh425 billion Grand High Falls dam project – a public private partnership on the Tana River that will generate 1,000MW of hydroelectric energy capacity and irrigation for 400,000 hectares of farmland and which is being led by UK engineering firm GBM.
Others include the Sh31 billion United Green investment which is a climate-smart crop and agro-industrial processing system. It is a joint venture with Kisumu County that will create 2,000 direct jobs and provide an income for a further 20,000 farmers across counties in the Lake Victoria region.
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