Virunga Power is building a hydro plant to power this valley of Kenyan farmers MUNTUNGRU COMMUNITY, MERU COUNTY, KENYA: May 31, 2015 - Virunga Power is expanding a micro-hydro power plant (26Kw) on the Mutonga River to a larger grid-tied hydro plant (7.8 Mw) for the Muntungru Community. The region sits at the edge of Mt. Kenya national forest. The population mostly consists of smallholder farmers growing tea, coffee, and vegetables. Most of the inhabitants have no connection to power. The initial structure was built by UNIDO after the community of 1,200 applied for and won a grant. Virunga Power will spend the next two years expanding the project and connecting the community of 3 - 5,000 people to the micro grid by mid 2017. The goal is to provide enough to energy to not only cover lights and the ability to power cell phones, but also to power businesses and farms.