Thread by @mwarv

For slightly over 18 months now, I have been documenting the construction of the Kipeto Energy Wind Farm in Kajiado.

Today I'd like to share part of the clean energy revolution I've had the pleasure of witnessing.

#KipetoEnergy #WindFarm #RenewableEnergy #Vision2030

One of the first events I documented was a house handover in Dec 2018. Because residents of the area were going to be moved to make way for the turbines, Kipeto Energy built them 3-bedroom houses - complete with solar power - a safe distance from the turbines.

Then came the excavation of the different sites where the 60 turbines were to be erected.

A couple of months after ground breaking, I returned to see how the new home beneficiary families were doing and found one of them had ventured into farming!

There was also a graduation ceremony for those who had received training on different skills needed to work in the construction, with several getting jobs in the firm constructing the wind farm.

Over several visits to the site, I got to document the Kenyan and international teams working together to realise the grand vision that had taken almost ten years to see the light of day.

At every visit to the wind farm, I’ve seen wildlife grazing freely between Kajiado town and the construction site. An environmental team from Kipeto is constantly working to ensure that their habitat is kept safe.

One of my highlights was the offloading of the turbines in Kilindini. These were the largest turbines regionally, and offloading was a process that took a lot of skill and coordination.

Here's a time lapse of the offloading process in October 2019.

Transport from Mombasa to Kajiado was an uphill task (pun intended), with the trucks carrying the turbine parts requiring escorts to ensure safety for all road users.

After several weeks of transport and construction, the wind farm started taking shape, with white turbines rising over 50m above the ground in Esilanke, Kajiado.

On 31st May 2020, the 60th turbine went up, bringing the promise of an additional 100MW being injected into the national grid closer to reality.

So momentous was the day that Kilimanjaro showed up for the celebrations!

@joshkisamwa and I did this film to celebrate the achievements thus far.

With all turbines up, what is left is connection to the national gird which should be done before end of 2020.

You can find out more about the project here : kipetoenergy.co.ke