Vipingo power station is a 600 MW coal power station in Coast, Kenya. It is operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #5 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_vipingo_kenya.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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 600 MW, Vipingo power station is around the median coal plant in Kenya (600 MW). Technically it is described as 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.
Key facts
- Share of Kenya coal capacity
- 21.9% 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
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC [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 3.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an extreme marine/tropical environment (estimated ISO 9223 class CX — Extreme), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
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 #3 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
- Kaloleni Cement Plant · Coal · 66 MW · Coast
- Rabai · Oil · 90 MW · Kwale
- Kipevu I · Oil · 73.5 MW · Mombasa
- Kipevu II (Tsavo) · Oil · 74.5 MW · Mombasa
- Kipevu III · Oil · 116.9 MW · Mombasa
- Tana River nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 4,000 MW · Coast
Location
Coordinates -3.8202, 39.7859 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Vipingo power station?
Vipingo power station is a 600 MW coal power plant in Coast, Kenya.
Who operates Vipingo power station?
Vipingo power station is operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC [100%].