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HydroBox Kenya is a hydroelectric power plant, developed by Kenyan entrepreneur John Magiro, the founder of Magiro Hydro Electricity, in partnership with Belgian equity investment company, HydroBox.
HydroBox Kenya, is a hydroelectric power plant, developed by Kenyan entrepreneur John Magiro, the founder of Magiro Hydro Electricity, in partnership with Belgian equity investment company, HydroBox. With a total project cost of approximately Ksh 105.7 million (equivalent to US$740,897.50), the initiative received crucial technical and financial backing from prominent entities including the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND), the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and Belgium’s FINEXPO.
Located in Murang’a County, the power plant now serves over 2,000 households, significantly contributing to the Kenyan government’s rural electrification program. In 2021, over 600 million Africans, comprising 43 percent of the continent’s population, lacked access to electricity, with 590 million residing in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the urgent need for reliable power sources.
HydroBox is the sole hydroelectric power plant in Kenya’s central region. It harnesses the energy of diverted water from a nearby river to spin turbines that generate electricity. The process initiates with the creation of a small reservoir, where water is dived into a canal and subsequently directed through a pipeline to the turbine. This rotational motion drives an alternator that produces power, with the entirety of the water returning unaltered to the river, preserving environmental integrity.
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The plant has the capacity to generate up to 750 kilowatts of power, which is then distributed to an array of consumers, including households, educational institutions, and businesses. In case of drought or low river levels, the incorporation of solar panels ensures an uninterrupted power supply.
