China Eximbank provides $135.7 million loan for 54.66 MW Garissa Solar Power Plant

On June 13, 2015, China Eximbank and the Government of Kenya signed an export credit agreement worth $135.7 million for the Garissa Solar Power Plant Project (Chinese project title: 肯尼亚加里萨50WM等光伏项目等). The terms of the loan are unknown, but according to one Kenyan government official, the loan is concessional with a low-interest rate and long maturity period. The total cost of the project is $151,047,789.51. Project implementation began on September 29, 2016. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta officially launched the power plant on December 13, 2019. Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation (CJIC) was the main contractor, but it undertook the project in collaboration with Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority (REA) and the Chinese solar company JinkoSolar. The plant is located 20 kilometers north of Garissa, in Barki Village. The power plant was originally planned to have a capacity of 50 MW, providing electricity for 350,000 people and 1000 employment opportunities for citizens in the area. However, when solar panel prices went down, the capacity of the plant was increased to 54.66MW. Of the power produced by the plant, Garissa town consumes roughly 5MW and the rest is connected to the national grid, making it the biggest solar plant in East Africa. The plant sits on 85 acres and consists of 210,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels. The power plant is now operated by Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority (REA) and it sells power to Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).

Additional details

One source (see: Sh13.5 billion Garissa solar plant be commissioned in two weeks) claims that the plant was commissioned as early as September 24, 2018. Another source also claims that the plant can service up to 625,000 homes.

Number of official sources

12

Number of unofficial sources

14