Strengthening grid stability and accelerating renewable energy integration
Veolia's Engineering & Consulting, in collaboration with Dornier Group and Gauff Consultants Africa, is supporting the Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen Kenya) with the expansion of solar power generation at Seven Forks, marking an important step in the country’s transition towards an electricity grid powered entirely by renewable energy.
Funded by the Agence Française de Développement, this project involves a feasibility study for a 100 MW solar photovoltaic power plant integrated with a battery energy storage system (BESS).
A hybrid energy project at the heart of the Seven Forks complex
Located near the existing Seven Forks solar site (42.5 MW), this extension will create a hybrid energy hub by leveraging synergies with the neighbouring Kamburu hydroelectric power station. The project will combine solar generation and battery storage to support smoother electricity generation and provide essential services to the national grid.
Technical and financial expertise to support project development
Over the next eight months, the project experts will ensure technical excellence and financial viability through a range of activities:
- Assessing the Kenyan electricity market and carrying out the topographical, geotechnical and network studies required to optimise the 100 MW expansion across 150 hectares, with an estimated annual output of 150 GWh, sufficient to supply electricity to more than 700,000 inhabitants.
- Conducting grid impact studies and sizing the battery energy storage system (BESS) to smooth electricity generation and provide essential ancillary services to the national grid.
- Developing OPEX/CAPEX models to determine the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and internal rate of return (IRR), conducting Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) in accordance with NEMA requirements and international standards, and preparing EPC documentation alongside a long-term solar master plan for the Seven Forks complex.
- Strengthening KenGen staff capabilities through workshops focused on the operation and maintenance of next-generation hybrid energy systems.
Supporting Kenya’s energy transition goals
This project contributes to Kenya’s Vision 2030 programme and global climate goals, while optimising existing infrastructure through the shared use of power transmission lines, substations and roads connected to existing hydroelectric and solar power facilities.