Google has signed an agreement to acquire 12.5% stake in the 310MW Lake Turkana wind farm in Kenya, from Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas upon completion.
The wind project, which is claimed to be the Africa’s largest of its kind, is designed to meet around 15% of power needs in Kenya, based on current generation capacity.
The Kenyan Government aims to have 5GW of installed power generation capacity by 2020, reported Bloomberg.
Vestas plans to commission the wind farm in 2017.
Google energy vice-president John Woolard said: "We are making a commitment to invest in Lake Turkana because it makes financial sense, but also because it has the potential to have a massive impact on Kenya’s grid, helping to spur the deployment of renewable energy in one of the world’s fastest-growing countries."
"We look forward to joining Vestas and others to help accelerate progress toward a future of clean energy in Kenya."
Capable of generating more than 1,400 GWh of power per year, the Lake Turkana wind park is expected to contribute to Kenyan Government’s efforts to reduce its reliance on imported energy and fossil fuel while ensuring a reliable, clean low-cost electricity supply.
The project secured financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Standard Bank of South Africa, Nedbank, FMO, Proparco, East African Development Bank (EADB), PTA Bank, EKF, Triodos and DEG in addition to the African Development Bank (AfDB), which is the lead supporter, reported SeeNews Renewables.
Vestas Group president and CEO Anders Runevad said: "We commend Lake Turkana Wind Power for their ground-breaking work in bringing the project to this stage.
"We are extremely proud to provide the technology and service for a project that will be one of the most efficient wind parks in the world and which upon completion will include Google among its investors."
Till date, Google has committed more than $2bn in renewable energy projects.
Image: The Lake Turkana wind farm will feature Vestas-built turbines Photo: courtesy of Vestas/Google