Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the country’s leading power producer, has announced the commissioning of a 1.16 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at its headquarters in Nairobi. The new storage system is dedicated to powering KenGen’s modular data centre, which comprises 356 U-spaces and has a capacity of 52 kW.
The primary goal of the BESS is to provide a reliable power supply during periods of low grid demand, thereby boosting the resilience and stability of the data centre’s operations. In a statement, KenGen highlighted that integrating battery storage not only enhances operational stability but also aligns with its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and leading sustainable innovation within the energy sector.
KenGen’s CEO, Peter Njenga, emphasised that this deployment serves as a pilot project for future adoption of energy storage systems across similar modular data centres nationwide. The initiative aims to demonstrate how energy utilities can leverage battery technology as a sustainable and efficient power solution.
Innovative applications are also emerging where BESS is considered a primary power source. Energy Vault, in collaboration with RackScale Data Centers (RSDC), has developed the B-Nest BESS — a modular, multistory lithium-ion energy storage solution capable of storing up to 1.6 GWh per acre. This technology aims to provide data centres with full primary power for over ten hours, signalling a potential shift toward more sustainable, self-sufficient data centre operations.
