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Lamu Power Project

Coal power plant in Kenya, Kenya. Approximate location -2.291111, 40.855556.

CoalKenyaKenyaultra-supercritical

Lamu Power Project is a 1,050 MW coal power station in Kenya, Kenya. It is operated by Amu Power Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #2 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).

1,050MW installed capacity
1,314,000homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityLamu Power Project GEM-coal
CountryKenya · Kenya GEM-coal
Coordinates-2.291111, 40.855556 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,050 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerAmu Power Co [100%] GEM-coal
Technologyultra-supercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,599,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#2 / 34 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.75× · 600 MW · n=5 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,314,000 calculated
Environmental severityC5 · 50/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,050 MW, Lamu Power Project is well above the median coal plant in Kenya (600 MW). Technically it is described as ultra-supercritical. 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.

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 Amu Power Co [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 As) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 2.3°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

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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
50/100environmental-severity index
4.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
44 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 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.

Location

Coordinates -2.291111, 40.855556 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lamu Power Project?

Lamu Power Project is a 1,050 MW coal power plant in Kenya, Kenya.

How many homes can Lamu Power Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,314,000 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lamu Power Project?

Lamu Power Project is operated by Amu Power Co [100%].

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