Biojoule Thermal Power Station

Biojoule Thermal Power Station
Biojoule Thermal Power Station
	Location of Biojoule Thermal Power Station in Kenya
Country	Kenya
Location	Naivasha
Coordinates	00°41′37″S36°25′55″E / 0.69361°S 36.43194°E Coordinates: 00°41′37″S36°25′55″E / 0.69361°S 36.43194°E
Status	Operational
Commission date	2015 [1]
Owner(s)	Biojoule Kenya Limited
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Biogas
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	2.4 MW (3,218 hp)

Last updated March 14, 2019

Biojoule Thermal Power Station is a 2.4 MW (3,218 hp) biogas-fired thermal power station in Kenya, the largest economy in East African Community.^[2]

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors. At 580,367 square kilometres (224,081 sq mi), Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by total area. With a population of more than 52.2 million people, Kenya is the 27th most populous country. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. Kisumu City is the third largest city and a critical inland port at Lake Victoria. Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret.

The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organization composed of six countries in the African Great Lakes region in eastern Africa: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Paul Kagame the president of Rwanda, is the EAC's chairman. The organisation was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7 July 2000. In 2008, after negotiations with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the EAC agreed to an expanded free trade area including the member states of all three organizations. The EAC is an integral part of the African Economic Community.

Location

The power station is located in Naivasha, Nakuru County, approximately 93 kilometres (58 mi), by road, northwest of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and the largest city in that country.^[3] The approximate coordinates of the power plant are:0°41'37.0"S, 36°25'55.0"E (Latitude:-0.693611; Longitude:36.431944).^[4]

Naivasha is a market town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying 47 miles north west of Nairobi.

Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. The capital and largest town is Nakuru, although Naivasha is another major significant urban centre. With a population of 1,603,325, it is the fourth largest county in Kenya after Nairobi, Kakamega and Kiambu in that order in terms of population. Nakuru County has an area of 2,325.8 km². Until 2013, it formed part of Rift Valley Province.

Nairobi is the capital and the largest city of Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to "cool water", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 3,138,369 in the 2009 census, while the metropolitan area has a population of 6,547,547. The city is popularly referred to as the Green City in the Sun.

Overview

The power station, which is expected to come online in March 2015, has a generating capacity of 2.4 Megawatts.^[1] Construction was completed in January 2015. Biojoule Kenya Limited, the company that owns he power station, signed a 20-year power purchasing agreement with Kenya Power and Lighting Company, to supply 2MW to the national electricity grid. Once operational, the power station will be the first biogas-fired power plant to sell power to the national grid. Power is generated using plant waste generated on the 800 hectares (2,000 acres)Gorge Farm, near Lake Naivasha, owned by VP Group, an investor in the power project. The plant material is allowed to decompose anaerobically, generating gases, including methane. The gases are burnt, generating heat, which is used to heat water, generating steam. The steam is then used to run electricity generators. Some of the heat is used to warm greenhouses on the arm. The power generated will be evacuated via a substation within nearby Naivasha Town.^[2]

Kenya Power and Lighting Company, commonly referred to as Kenya Power or KPLC, is a limited liability company which transmits, distributes and retails electricity to customers throughout Kenya.

Biogas mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen

Biogas refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste. Biogas is a renewable energy source.

Anaerobic digestion is a collection of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermentation used industrially to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses anaerobic digestion.

Developers and financing

Biojoule Power Station was constructed at a cost of KSh591 million (US$6.5 million). The power station is 50% owned by the family that owns VP Group. The remaining 50% is owned by unnamed investors from the United Kingdom. CfC Stanbic Bank provided a loan of US$3.25 million, while the owners raised the remaining US$3.25. The power remaining over after sale to Kenya Power will be sold to the VP Group and some will be used internally by the power station.^[2]

The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state‍—‌the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

Other considerations

In addition to producing electricity and heat, the plant will produce an estimated 35,000 tonnes of fertilizer annually, from the remnants of anaerobic digestion. In addition to the plant material generated at Gorge Farm Energy Park, more raw material will be sourced from the neighboring Van den Berg Roses Farm.^[2]

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References

1 2 Simet, Anna (24 August 2015). "Largest grid-connected African biogas plant comes online". Biomass Magazine Online. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
1 2 3 4 Herbling, David (4 February 2015). "Biogas Firm To Supply National Grid With 2MW of Power". Business Daily Africa . Nairobi. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑ Globefeed.com (24 August 2016). "Distance between Nairobi, Kenya and Naivasha, Nakuru, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
↑ Google (24 August 2016). "Approximate Location of Biojoule Thermal Power Station" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 24 August 2016.

External links

Website of Biojoule Kenya Limited

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[On-1] 1 2 Simet, Anna (24 August 2015). "Largest grid-connected African biogas plant comes online". Biomass Magazine Online. Retrieved 24 August 2016.

[Supply-2] 1 2 3 4 Herbling, David (4 February 2015). "Biogas Firm To Supply National Grid With 2MW of Power". Business Daily Africa . Nairobi. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

[3] Globefeed.com (24 August 2016). "Distance between Nairobi, Kenya and Naivasha, Nakuru, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.

[4] Google (24 August 2016). "Approximate Location of Biojoule Thermal Power Station" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 24 August 2016.