Kenya has taken some major steps to boost its renewable energy production recently, according to reports. However, confusion about projects and the government?s ambiguous energy policy is overshadowing excitement.The Lake Turkana Wind Project (LTWP) in northeastern Kenya, spanning 40,000 acres, will provide the country?s national grid with 300 MW of wind power capacity, or a fifth of the country?s installed electricity capacity. Construction is due to begin imminently and the facility is expected to be online by 2016. Three hundred and sixty five wind turbines will generate the energy at the farm.

"All is progressing very well now and hopefully the long awaited final notice to proceed on the transmission line will be in place this week," said Carlo Van Wegeningen, Chairman, Lake Turkana Wind Power. "This is the last CP we are waiting for to allow to proceed and commence construction," he added.

According to Van Wegeningen, the project will have huge benefits. "It will increase the power generation capacity to the country by 17 percent. At EU ? 0.0752 per kWh LTWP will be the cheapest new and clean source of power in the country after geothermal," he said. "Today?s average cost of power in Kenya stands at approximately EU ? 0.12/kWh. LTWP will save the Kenyan economy some $150 million a year in fuel replacement costs. It will contribute $1 billion in income tax payments over the life of the project," Van Wegeningen added.

As well as the Lake Turkana farm, a number of other wind power projects are in the pipeline in Kenya. They include the Kipeto Wind Project in the Rift Valley Province, which will have a capacity over 100 MW a 90-MW Electrawinds project in Lamu and the 61-MW Kinangop wind farm project in central Kenya under UK-based wind turbine supplier Aeolus Power.

Kenya?s wind energy potential is high, say experts. Wind speeds of as much as eight to 14 meters per second are being recorded in several areas of the country, making wind-powered electricity production attractive on a commercial level as well as an environmental one. The government is keen to boost its intelligence about the best sites for wind farms and has set up 61 wind masts and data loggers all over the country over the last three years to this end. It plans to erect 34 more this year. After gathering sufficient information, the state plans to offer the best sites for wind power generation up to investors.