The Civil Engineering Contractor June 2019 | Page 9

CONSULTANTS
Renewable energy
industrial park – a
first for Africa
Kenya-Belgium USD69.4m water project
Project:
Client:
Location:
Water infrastructure
Kenya government
Northern Kenya
Project:
Client:
Location:
www.civilsonline.co.za
Ghana is to build the first renewable
energy industrial park in Africa.
The island of Lamu did not permit vehicles so it could retain its heritage.
Kenya is set to embark on a USD69.4-million drinking water project
in Garsen and the Lamu Island towns of Tana River and Lamu County
respectively. The Kenyan government will work closely with the
government of Belgium to ensure the project is delivered. A delegation
of national and county government officials visited Brussels to seal a
deal where the Belgium government will give funds for the project to
the Kenyan government. The government’s share of this funding is part
of a larger programme to allocate USD50 000 to each of Kenya’s 13
drought-affected counties.
Even though Lamu County is surrounded by water, its high salinity
is a problem and as a result the government initiated a seawater
desalination project in the region. The project is being carried out by
Agip, the Kenyan subsidiary of the Italian oil company Ente Nazionale
Idrocarburi through a public-private partnership. The desalination
plant, situated on an island called Siyu in the Indian Ocean, is set to
have a daily capacity of 60m 3 to provide drinking water to 10 000
people in Siyu and Pate Islands.
As part of the Lapsset Corridor programme, the central government
of Kenya is also working with the Lamu County authorities to establish
a desalination plant with a production capacity of 3 000m 3 /day. Its
construction will cost USD3.4-million from the Lapsset Corridor
programme budget. nn
Renewable energy
WestPark Enterprises
Takoradi, Ghana
Siemens and WestPark Enterprises have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) to develop an expandable microgrid
solution for the new renewable energy
industrial and business park based in Takoradi,
western Ghana. The new industrial park is
poised to accelerate the transformation of
Takoradi and will be the first industrial and
business park in Africa wholly powered by
renewable energy.
The new industrial park will accelerate
the transformation of Takoradi – Ghana’s
third-largest city. As part of the agreement,
Siemens will develop a 250kW microgrid
that controls the energy generation and
throughput for the initial phase of buildings
to be constructed at WestPark. The microgrid
will be powered by onsite photovoltaic
panels and a back-up battery storage solution
will be sourced as well. The grid can be
expanded as more buildings are added with
the aim to ensure that the park remains
powered by renewable energy. The WestPark
development aims to eliminate many of
the challenges faced by companies doing
business in sub-Saharan Africa such as access
to reliable power, water, broadband internet
and transport.
The project aligns with Siemens’ vision
for future business in Ghana and other
African countries – to continuously look
for new responsible and efficient energy and
infrastructure solutions – and the collaboration
with WestPark is a good example of this. nn
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