The independent energy production company Thika Power Limited, a subsidiary of Matelec Group of Lebanon, has selected MAN Diesel & Turbo to build a turnkey diesel power plant in Kenya. The plant will be built in Thika City, situated near Kenya's capital Nairobi, and will supply energy to the Kenya Power & Lighting Company. The order is worth several tens of millions of euros.

The power plant in Thika will be the first in Africa to use MAN's Diesel Combined Cycle product package and five MAN 18V48/60 four-stroke engines will be at its heart, producing 88 MW of electricity. The waste heat from the engines will be used to power a MAN MARC2 steam turbine, which will generate a further 6.8 MW of electricity. The combination of diesel engines and a steam turbine improves the efficiency of the plant, which will produce nine per cent more electricity from the same fuel consumption.

"The African continent offers huge potential for our Power Plants unit," says Dr. René Umlauft, CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo. "Our power plant solutions can help to bridge the existing energy supply gap in many parts of the continent swiftly and smoothly."

With its combination of diesel engines and a steam turbine, the power plant in Thika is a landmark project for MAN Diesel & Turbo in Africa that will create new market opportunities. Construction work in Thika is already underway and the plant is slated to come on stream in spring 2013.