Kenya will become a major hub for the development of solar power in Africa after a landmark agreement between the country’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and utility-scale PV company SkyPower.
Under the agreement, more than one gigawatt of new solar energy projects will be constructed over the next five years.
The signing took place during U.S. President Barack Obama’s weekend visit to Kenya at the sixth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), an event initiated by President Obama during his first term in office.
The US $2.2 billion (ZAR $25 billion) agreement will see 1 GW of utility-scale solar PV projects rolled out in four phases. Part of the deal ensures 200 MW of materials are produced domestically, creating a total of 25,000 job years for workers in construction as well as fabrication and assembly.
“Kenya has become an African hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, and SkyPower is proud to contribute to this unprecedented milestone in Kenya’s ambitious renewable energy plan,” said SkyPower President and Chief Executive Officer Kerry Adler.
“SkyPower’s solar projects will help Kenya realize its electrification goals, support the development of the country’s renewable energy industry and help the development of strong communities, generating a brighter future for all.”
The GES2015 played host not just to Kenya’s “favourite son” (while Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, his father is from Kenya), but also the Republic’s president, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, along with leading entrepreneurs and high-level government officials from around the world. SkyPower sponsored the summit as an official Solar Energy Partner.
“We are very pleased to work with a world-leader in solar energy like SkyPower,”” said Henry Rotich, Cabinet Secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. ” Sustainable electrification is a central policy issue in Kenya, and we are committed to making this a reality for our citizens, while accelerating economic growth in the process.”
Speaking at the conference to members of the Power Africa Initiative – a U.S. aid agency aimed at adding 30,000 MW of capacity to African energy grids – President Obama said solar power was an “opportunity for countries like Africa to leapfrog over dirty energy and immediately go to clean energy.”
