GE to start building 100 MW wind farm in Kenya next year

General Electric (GE) plans to begin construction of a 100 MW wind power farm in Kenya early next year and expects it to be up and running within 18 months after that, a company executive said on Thursday.

Kenya is pushing to expand its power generation capacity by 5,000 MW by 2017 from about 1,700 MW now to reduce tariffs, tackle power shortages and cut costs of doing business. It plans to do this by tapping renewable source like wind and geothermal energy.