WorleyParsons revealed that it has begun to mobilize its project management teams for the Lake Turkana Wind Power farm in Kenya. The teams are now moving onsite in the Loyangalani District.
The 32-month project, which will establish the biggest wind farm of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and represents one of the biggest single private investment in Kenya’s history, will supply 300-MW wind turbine generator capacity to the Kenyan national grid. This is equivalent to about 20% of the country’s current installed electricity generating capacity.
The project is part of the Kenyan government’s drive to generate 5,000 MW for the country by 2017 rolex replica. The project is also the biggest renewable energy project that WorleyParsons RSA has undertaken to date.
The project management team is comprised of a core group of WorleyParsons project leaders, supplemented with professional personnel sourced locally in Kenya, as part of its localisation philosophy. These professionals will have a unique opportunity to work on a project of this magnitude and to gain specialised skills. The team is split between WorleyParsons’ Nairobi project office and the Turkana site office.
The site was selected following an extensive survey of the region that focused on environmental, social and sustainability, technology and commercial considerations. The survey took into account the remoteness and security of the area, the strength and stability of the winds, proven available technology, the benign environmental setting, low population density, fresh water availability and road accessibility.
The project spans an area of 160 sq km and the scope includes 365 wind turbines of 850 kW each, an electric grid collection system and a high voltage substation, as well as upgrades to 200 km of existing road, an internal site road network and a 160 man self-contained village for the turbine contractor’s team. The village, that incorporates a bank and a medical facility, will later house personnel for the operational phase of the project. The Kenyan government has undertaken to finance and construct a 428 km transmission line that will link into the national grid in Nairobi.
WorleyParsons Project Manager on the Lake Turkana Wind Project, Stefan van Niekerk, says logistics will be one of the biggest challenges, as a high volume of components need to be transported from the Port at Mombasa to the project site, a distance about 1 200 km, over a 12-month period from Q1 2016. Although each contractor will take responsibility for its own logistics, WorleyParsons will oversee the process in terms of facility inspections, quality checks and testing, and delivery schedules.