Grand vision ranges from irrigating fields to lighting up high-tech city

The actualization of the Thwake multipurpose dam in Kenya is expected to provide hydropower for the national grid, provide water for irrigation for over 40,000 hectares of land, and provide water supply for the ambitious Konza Technopolis in addition to three adjoining counties.

Located 64 kilometers south of the capital Nairobi, Konza Technopolis is a smart city project by the Kenyan government to foster the establishment of a tech industry hub in the country. The technopolis project intends to attract business process outsourcing, software development, data centers, disaster recovery centers, call centers and light assembly manufacturing industries.

Plans are also underway to build a university campus focused on research and technology as well as hotels, residential areas, schools and hospitals. It is also intended to include a science park, a convention center, shopping malls, hotels, international schools and a health facility.

Kenya aims to cement its digital ambitions with the technopolis becoming the first smart city in the region. It is envisaged to be a key economic driver for Kenya and has already bagged over $800 million in commitments, according to the government.

Faith Mwikali, an environment officer with the China Gezhouba Group that is constructing the Thwake multipurpose dam, said part of the 20 megawatts that will be produced once the dam starts generating power will be used to power Konza city. This will be in addition to the city’s water supply, which will come from the dam.

Apart from Thwake Dam’s power supply, China Aerospace Construction Group is constructing the 40-km, 400kilovolt Konza-Isinya transmission line, which will also power Konza city as well as Kajiado, Makueni, and Machakos counties.

The completion of the transmission line will provide Konza Technopolis investors with reliable access to electricity, as the technology city is set to tap into a diversified mix of green energy that includes hydropower from Thwake Dam and geothermal, wind and solar power that will be distributed through the Isinya substation.

In 2019, Huawei committed to building a data center, smart city and surveillance project at Konza worth $172 million, which will be funded with Chinese concessional loans.

The project, which was conceived by both Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology and Huawei, includes a national cloud data center and smart ICT network.