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Pokot power station

Coal power plant in Rift Valley, Kenya. Approximate location 1.395343, 35.33699.

CoalRift ValleyKenyasubcriticalShelved

Pokot power station is a 64 MW coal power plant in Rift Valley, Kenya. It is operated by National Cement Company Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 80k homes (estimated). It ranks #26 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).

64MW installed capacity
80,091homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPokot power station GEM-coal
CountryKenya · Rift Valley GEM-coal
Coordinates1.395343, 35.33699 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity64 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerNational Cement Company Ltd [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions280,320 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#26 / 34 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 / 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.11× · 600 MW · n=5 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent80,091 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 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 64 MW, Pokot power station is below the median coal plant in Kenya (600 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Its current lifecycle status is “Shelved” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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 National Cement Company Ltd [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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 1.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season mean
Temperate oceanic: 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 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
1.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
254 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 #5 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

Location

Coordinates 1.395343, 35.33699 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pokot power station?

Pokot power station is a 64 MW coal power plant in Rift Valley, Kenya.

How many homes can Pokot power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 80,091 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pokot power station?

Pokot power station is operated by National Cement Company Ltd [100%].

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