American Tech giant Google has shelved plans to buy a stake in the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) over delays.
The project was commissioned in July 2019 but the contractor is said to have been sluggish in completion of a 428-kilometer transmission link.
LTWP was expected to generate power of 310-megawatts for more than 300,000 local and neighboring homes and areas around the Rift Valley region.
The project was initially set for completion in 2017, after which Google would have bought the stake from Denmark based firm, Vestas.
“Due to delays relating primarily to the transmission line, the Vestas agreement with Google was cancelled in 2019. As Vestas’ strategy doesn’t include being a long-term wind park owner, we’re currently in commercial dialogues with potential buyers of our shares,” said Vestas.
Read: Lake Turkana National Parks Inscribed On List Of World Heritage In Danger
Google has committed about Ksh712 billion shillings to 52 renewable energy projects globally.
The delays are said to have been caused by demands for compensation from landowners along the route and other issues delayed it.
The line was further delayed after a Spanish firm contracted to build the line went under. Kenya then tapped a Chinese company to complete it.
The Lake Turkana wind farm is expected to provide 15 percent of Kenya’s total electricity needs.
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