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Kitui power station — Kenya

Coal power plant in Eastern, Kenya. Approximate location -1.483333, 38.383333.

CoalEasternKenya

Kitui power station is a 960 MW coal power station in Eastern, Kenya. It is operated by to be determined [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #4 of 34 Kenya power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 0.0% of Kenya's electricity; the national grid averages 95 gCO₂/kWh (90.0% low-carbon) (2025).

960MW installed capacity
1,201,371homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_kitui_kenya.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKitui power station GEM-coal
CountryKenya · Eastern GEM-coal
Coordinates-1.483333, 38.383333 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity960 MW GEM GCPT; source record
Ownerto be determined [100%] GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,204,800 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#4 / 34 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 / 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.60× · 600 MW · n=5 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,201,371 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 960 MW, Kitui power station is well above the median coal plant in Kenya (600 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Kenya coal capacity
35.0% of 2,740 MW across 5 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Kenya

Lamu Power Project: 1,050 MW1kLamu Power…Kitui power station: 960 MW960Kitui powe…Vipingo power station: 600 MW600Vipingo po…Kaloleni Cement Plant: 66 MW66Kaloleni C…Pokot power station: 64 MW64Pokot powe…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by to be determined [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 1.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical savanna: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
3.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
285 kmdistance to coast

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest coal power plant of 5 in Kenya by capacity.

Kenya has 5 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 2,740 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

  • Kindaruma · Hydro · 72 MW · Kitui
  • Gitaru · Hydro · 225 MW · Kitui
  • Kiambere · Hydro · 168 MW · Kitui
  • Kamburu · Hydro · 94.2 MW · Embu
  • Masinga · Hydro · 40 MW · Embu
  • Tana · Hydro · 20 MW · Murang'a District

Location

Coordinates -1.483333, 38.383333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kitui power station?

Kitui power station is a 960 MW coal power plant in Eastern, Kenya.

Who operates Kitui power station?

Kitui power station is operated by to be determined [100%].

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