Pokot power station
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Pokot power station is a power station in the pre-permit stage in Sebit-Ortum, West Pokot, Kenya. It is also known as West Pokot power plant.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Pokot power station | Sebit-Ortum, West Pokot, Kenya | 1.395343, 35.33699 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | pre-permit | coal - unknown | 64 | subcritical | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Simba Cement [100.0%] |
Project-level captive use details
- Captive industry use (heat or power): cement & building
- Captive industry: Power
Background
Cemtech proposed a cement plant in West Pokot County. According to the 2010 feasibility study for the project by the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), the area had large limestone deposits with the potential to produce 1.2 million tons of cement per year. Shortly after the study, Cemtech acquired 650 acres of land for the project. In September 2015, Cemtech said the company had finally managed to sort out logistical challenges that had delayed the project for the past five years. Construction of the Sh10 billion cement plant was set to begin in January 2016. As part of the project plan, the company also planned to put up a 64 MW coal-fired power plant to be sold to the national grid.[1]
In August 2016, the project was reported to be delayed as the company was "facing logistical challenges."[2]
In November 2018, it was reported that construction on the long-delayed cement factory was set to begin in January 2019. [3]
In January 2019, phase one of the cement project was set to begin, involving construction of internal roads linking the factory site with mines, prefabricated houses for staff and workers, perimeter walls, an administration block, platforms onto which machines will be erected, as well as delivery of threshing machines, excavators, tractors, and trucks.[4]
The Turkwel-Ortum-Kitale electricity transmission line nearing completion in 2021 was expected to provide an alternative transmission evacuation route for the Turkwel Power plant, a 106 MW hydro-electric power station in Kenya. The line may facilitate efficient power supply to the proposed cement factory.[5]
In December 2021, Kenyan company Simba Cement (a subsidiary of Devki Group) bought out parent company Cemtech and moved forward with reviving the 10-year delayed project. They reported plans to begin building the actual cement plant sometime in 2022 and planned for construction to take 18 months.[6] At the time of this announcement, the factory was still to be powered by a 64 MW power plant in the area. An article published in the Star states that this plan was to increase efficiency and minimize the operational costs. The company stated that they were engaging in public participation and consultancy forums with residents and leaders in the West Pokot area.[7]
Formerly thought to be cancelled, the power plant could be considered as pre-permit development status as of 2022.
In March 2023, it was reported that the cement plant was expected to open in September 2023.[8]
In July 2023, the Devki Group announced that they had applied for an energy generation license for a 60 MW wind farm to power its cement plant in Sebit village, West Pokot.[9][10]
According to reporting from March 2024, the cement plant's opening had been postponed to the end of the month due to a delay in electricity supply from Kenya Power.[11] As of March 2024, there were no apparent updates on the proposed coal-fired power plant.
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Construction of Pokot cement plant set for January," Business Daily, September 22, 2015
- ↑ "Kenya: West Pokot proposed cement plant may get delayed," CemWeek, August 26, 2016
- ↑ "Buiding of W Pokot cement plant set to start in January," businessdailyafrica.com, November 26, 2018
- ↑ "Cemtech finally set to begin work on Pokot cement plant," Construction Kenya, January 18, 2019
- ↑ "Reliable Power Supply Once Transmission Is Completed," Kenya News, March 24, 2021
- ↑ "Cement factory 10-year delay hits West Pokot’s economic growth hope," Business Daily Africa, December 16, 2021
- ↑ "Devki counts on own electricity to further cut on cement prices," The Star, September 5, 2021
- ↑ "Update on Kenya, March 2023," Global Cement, March 8, 2023
- ↑ "The Cement Billionaire Building His Own Power Plants," Business Today, July 31, 2023
- ↑ "City Tycoon to Build 60 MW Wind Farm in West Pokot," Construction Kenya, August 17, 2023
- ↑ "Billionaire Guru to Inaugurate Kenya’s West Pokot Cement Plant in a Fortnight," Business Day Africa, March 6, 2024
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
