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Lake Turkana

Wind power plant in Turkana, Kenya. Approximate location 2.6447, 36.7378.

WindTurkanaKenyaOnshore

Lake Turkana is a 310 MW wind power station in Turkana, Kenya. It is operated by Lake Turkana Wind Power Ltd.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 264k homes (estimated). It ranks #6 of 34 Kenya power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 16.4% of Kenya's electricity; the national grid averages 95 gCO₂/kWh (90.0% low-carbon) (2025).

310Source-backed capacity
263,801homes powered (est.)
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000054.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLake Turkana WRI
CountryKenya · Turkana WRI
Coordinates2.6447, 36.7378 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity310 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLake Turkana Wind Power Ltd. WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#6 of 34 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 2 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent263,801 calculated
Climate26.0°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Capacity vs largest wind plants in Kenya

Lake Turkana: 310 MW310Lake Turka…Ngong: 36 MW36Ngong

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

Owner

Operated by Lake Turkana Wind Power Ltd..

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 2.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.0°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,924cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
634 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 27 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 26 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD27 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
2.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
462 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #1 largest wind power plant of 2 in Kenya by capacity.

Kenya has 2 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 346 MW of capacity.

Location

Coordinates 2.6447, 36.7378 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lake Turkana?

Lake Turkana is a 310 MW source-record wind power plant in Turkana, Kenya, commissioned in 2017.

How many homes can Lake Turkana power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 263,801 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lake Turkana?

Lake Turkana is operated by Lake Turkana Wind Power Ltd..

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