AfDB to back Kenya’s Lamu coal

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is mulling to fund the development of Kenya’s first coal-fired power plant. The bank is awaiting the environmental and social audits before they can release the funds.

AfDB Director-General of the East Africa Regional office Gabriel Negatu, said:

"The owners of the 1000 MW Lamu coal plant have approached AfDB for funding to the tune of 100 million U.S. dollars as well as guarantees of a similar amount for the construction of the power plant."

The Lamu coal plant will be developed by a consortium called Amu Power that includes Centum Investments, Gulf Energy, Sichuan Electric Power and Design and Consulting, China Huadian Corporation Power Operation Company and Sichuan No.3 Power Construction Company.

The Coal fired power project will include three supercritical pulverized coal-fired boilers that will produce steam for the steam turbine generators. The boilers will be designed to maximize efficiency and minimize air pollution during the combustion process. Each pulverized coal-fired boiler will have a dedicated steam turbine generator which will use steam produced by the boiler to drive an electric generator.

Each steam turbine generator is expected to have a nominal generating capacity of 350MW, with the maximum net generating capacity of the three combined steam turbine generators expected to be approximately 1050MW.

Construction of the plant will take approximately 30 months to complete once it begins. As we reported the project received green light in January 2015.