China Communication Construction Company has signed a US$479mn deal with Kenya Ports Authority to build three berths at Lamu Port, Kenya, including an oil export terminal
The project is a part of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor, a US$24 billion international project.
Kenya wants to play a key role in the burgeoning East Africa oil and gas industry with a new export terminal and a pipeline enabling oil exports to Asia beginning in 2017, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, said, “All these components are intended to be implemented as a package that will result in the development of an integrated transport and economic corridor.
“In the light of Kenya’s recent discoveries of mineral resources such as oil, coal and gas, the need for the Lamu Port expansion and the corridor is much needed. Our country must develop the additional transport and infrastructure capacity to harness the immense mineral wealth that our country is now discovering.”
The Kenya Ports Authority and Chinese company had signed the contract for the construction work on the new berths to begin in September 2014. On completion, Port Lamu will have a total of 32 berths.
