Amu Power Company- a joint venture between Gulf Energy and Centum Investment, is set to begin construction work is set to take 21 months and will be ready by the end of 2017.
Gulf Energy Managing Director Francis Njogu they are looking forward to have the process of land acquisition complete before October this year, when the construction is slated to kick off.
“We are tenants of the government. So the land owner needs to provide us free marketable title to the land. The compensation process is supposed to be the role of the land owner. But we are working with the relevant government agencies to identify the people who are there because it is in our interest to make sure the community is very satisfied,” Njogu said.
AMU Chief Executive Officer Francis Njogu says the 980 megawatts power plant will be constructed at a cost of 180 billion shillings through external financing and the firm’s locally raised equity.
The construction of the 980MW Lamu coal power plant was the talk of town mid last year following the awarding of the tender to a consortium led by Gulf Energy and Centum Investment group.
The investments include building the power plant, a jetty, as well as a modern housing complex for at least 300 workers.
At least 1,000 jobs will be created during the construction phase. The firm says it has already shared the skills required with the government and local leaders with recommendation for courses required.
source:kbc