Three solar mini-grids in the villages of Ngurunit, Kalobeyei town and Kalobeyei refugee settlement are providing clean, reliable and affordable energy to households, businesses and social institutions with the help of Renewvia Energy.
Renewvia Energy Kenya Limited, a locally registered solar developer, and a subsidiary of Renewvia Energy Corporation, and Energising Development (EnDev) Kenya, through the Mini-Grids Results Based Financing (RBF) project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, today announced a partnership to electrify three communities in Kenya to bring reliable, affordable and clean electricity to local residents and businesses. The agreement includes a grant of more than $630,000 from UK Department for International Development (DFID) through the RBF facility which has enabled Renewvia to commission three solar mini-grids serving Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and other humanitarian agencies together with the Government of Kenya, and nearby Kalobeyei Host Community Town both in Turkana County, omega replica watches as well as the Village of Ngurunit in Marsabit County, Northern Kenya.
Turkana is the second largest county in Kenya, and one of the poorest, with more than 88 percent of the population living in extreme poverty. Prior to commissioning these mini-grids, residents of Kalobeyei Host Community Town and the Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement had only limited access to reliable power, which was also the case for Ngurunit. Those who did have access would obtain it from expensive and unreliable sources such as solar home systems and small diesel generators. Commissioning these mini-grids is a first step in helping to expand access to clean and reliable energy for productive use to help improve healthcare, advance education, enhance livelihoods, self-reliance and safety.
“We have seen immediate positive impacts on lives and livelihoods for Ngurunit, Kalobeyei Town and Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement community members, who have been enthusiastic and willing to connect to the mini-grids,” said Douglas Cox, Director of African Project Development, Renewvia Energy Corporation. “Ultimately, maximizing the socio-economic impacts for those living without reliable energy access requires the ability to replicate and scale while preserving quality and reliability, and Renewvia is well-positioned to bring our leading energy solutions to more communities in Kenya and throughout Africa.”
The Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement was established in 2015 by Turkana County Government (TCG) and UNHCR with three distinct “villages” across 15 square kilometers to house refugees largely coming from South Sudan. Renewvia’s mini-grid is serving Village One and is currently providing electricity at an affordable cost to almost 500 households, schools, as well as businesses and churches. In Kalobeyei Town, with a population of approximately 8,000, Renewvia’s mini-grid is currently providing electricity to over 100 households, as well as 29 local businesses and community institutions. In Ngurunit town with a population of approximately 5,000, Renewvia’s mini-grid is currently providing electricity to over 160 households and 25 local businesses and social institutions.
“Together with other development partners, we are supporting the Ministry of Energy (MoE) in achieving the 2022 universal access to electricity target as per the Kenya National Electrification Strategy. Through the DFID funded Mini-grids RBF facility, our focus was to facilitate market entry for private sector into Green Mini-Grids (GMG) business in Kenya, and particularly in providing electricity in off-grid rural areas. We have worked collaboratively with the county governments of Turkana and Marsabit as well as Renewvia to deliver power to these 3 villages and we are looking forward to the mini-grids operating sustainably and bringing the much-needed positive impact to the local households, SMEs and social institutions.” – Anna Ingwe (Country Manager – EnDev Kenya).
“UNHCR strongly believes that the solar grid project plays a crucial role to mainstream access to energy for refugees and host communities, one of the flagship projects of the Kalobeyei Integrated Socio Economic Development Plan (KISEDP). In line with the UNHCR’s global strategy for sustainable energy, we aim to ensure that refugees can meet their basic energy needs while minimising environmental degradation. Sustainable energy will enable refugee and host communities to pursue education, support livelihood activities and enhance their safety and well-being,” said Ignazio Matteini, UNHCR’s Head of Office in Kakuma.
Cox continued, “The initial rollout has been so successful that plans are now underway for expansion of the power lines to give more individuals in Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement the opportunity to connect to an expanded solar generation plant that can accommodate the increased load. We are incredibly excited to continue our partnership with GIZ, UNHCR, TCG and all of our other development partners in this area to further serve the residents of Turkana West Sub-County.”