AFRICA who knows the various elements in the construction of wind farms . They felt I was the right person to help bring the project over the finish line and into operations ,” he says .

Leferink became General Manager in 2015 , and through his work with Vestas he was best placed to fully understand the challenges that faced the company and more importantly , how to mitigate them .

The location of Lake Turkana Wind Project is no coincidence . The area has been known for many years for its incredibly strong winds that swoop through the Kenyan Rift Valley , a “ fantastic wind resource ”.

“ The Lake Turkana Wind Power project is in a truly unique environment , with a unique wind resource . This whole process is the culmination of a project on a scale that has not been done anywhere else in the world ,” says Leferink .

But a fantastic wind resource is only one small element of the project . Lake Turkana is an isolated lake in northern Kenya . This presented a major challenge that needed to be overcome in order to push forward with the project - accessibility .

THE YEAR WHEN CONSTRUCTION OF LAKE TURKANA WIND POWER BEGAN

The lack of solid infrastructure pushed the project back into what Leferink describes as akin to an “ offshore operation ”. The assets required for the construction of the project , including some 360 + wind turbines , were shipped in to the port of Mombasa – the closest port . These assets , some 1,600 components , were then transported 1,200 km to Lake Turkana .

“ The existing roads quite simply were not good enough , so we upgraded some 208km of road in order to make it accessible ,” he says .

This lack of infrastructure created a real sense of risk with Leferink understanding that without a smooth supply chain , the project would not be delivered on time , if at all .

www . ltwp . co . ke 51