Under the agreement with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, SkyPower will construct the projects in four phases over the next five years.
The investment includes 200MW of fabrication and assembly plants, as well as a commitment of $173m for education, training, and research and development.
The Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich said: "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."
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data, around two-thirds of Kenya’s electricity is being generated from renewable energy sources.
The country does not have solar developments matching to the scale of hydropower and geothermal projects, which account for 38% and 25% of supplies respectively.
SkyPower president and chief executive officer Kerry Adler said: "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."
SkyPower develops and owns utility-scale solar photovoltaic energy projects. It has a pipeline of more than 25GW globally, including 6GW that will be developed in Egypt and Nigeria in the next five years.
Image: SkyPower will develop 1GW of solar projects in Kenya over the next five years. Photo: courtesy of Naypong/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
