Benefits of low emission development strategies

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is a 310 MW wind farm in Kenya's Marsabit West County designed to increase national electricity supply by 15–20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 740,000 tCO2eq annually. Costing €623 million, it represents Kenya's largest single private investment and aims to stabilize energy prices by providing power at approximately one-third the cost of fossil fuel generation. The project has created over 2,000 local jobs and includes corporate social responsibility programs through the Winds of Change foundation to improve local education, health, and water access. Despite these benefits, the project has faced challenges including funding withdrawals by the World Bank and local tensions regarding land rights and equitable job distribution.

• The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) will add 310 MW of capacity, increasing Kenya's national electricity supply by 15–20% relative to 2015 levels and mitigating approximately 740,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq) annually.
• The project is expected to enhance energy security and price stability by reducing reliance on fuel imports from neighboring countries like Uganda, potentially saving Kenya over €100 million (US$113 million) per year.
• LTWP provides a significantly cheaper alternative to fossil fuels, with electricity sold to the grid at about one-third of the cost of fossil fuel generated power (€0.0752 per kWh compared to €0.21 per kWh).
• The project has generated substantial employment, creating more than 2,000 local jobs during construction, with an expectation that 150 permanent maintenance and security positions will be filled by local community members.
• The 'Winds of Change' CSR foundation has invested approximately €1 million (US$1.1 million) through December 2016 into community projects focusing on education, health, and water access, such as constructing boreholes and school facilities.
• The project's financial closure was achieved after the World Bank withdrew funding due to concerns over Kenya's demand capacity, leading the African Development Bank (AfDB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) to step in.
• Social challenges persist despite mitigation efforts, including a lawsuit regarding the legal land rights of nomadic pastoralists and community disputes over the equitable allocation of jobs.

APA

Cookson, P., Kuna, J., & Golla, E. (2017). Benefits of low emission development strategies. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kenya-Benefits-Case-Study-proof4_31_01_17.pdf

Chicago

Cookson, Pamela, Jessica Kuna, and Emily Golla. Benefits of low emission development strategies. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kenya-Benefits-Case-Study-proof4_31_01_17.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cookson |first1=Pamela |last2=Kuna |first2=Jessica |last3=Golla |first3=Emily |title=Benefits of low emission development strategies |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=January 2017 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kenya-Benefits-Case-Study-proof4_31_01_17.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cookson2017benefits, author = {Cookson, Pamela and Kuna, Jessica and Golla, Emily}, title = {{Benefits of low emission development strategies}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kenya-Benefits-Case-Study-proof4_31_01_17.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }