Geothermal power in Kenya

Workers at Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant

Geothermal power is very cost-effective in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, East Africa. Kenya was the first African country to build geothermal energy sources. The Kenya Electricity Generating Company, which is 70% state-owned, has built three plants to exploit the Olkaria geothermal resource, Olkaria I (185 MW), Olkaria II (150 MW) and Olkaria IV (140 MW) with a third private plant Olkaria III (110 MW). Additionally, a pilot wellhead plant of 2.5 MW has been commissioned at Eburru and two small scale plants have been built by the Oserian Development Company to power their rose farm facilities with a total of 3 MW. Kenya currently has 590 MW of installed geothermal capacity.

2030

Source:[1]

By 2030 Kenya aims to have 5,530 MW of geothermal power or 26% of total capacity.[2] This will make it Kenya's largest source of electricity clean energy by 2030.

Geothermal power plants, have a prominent place in Kenya’s overarching development plans. These include the Vision 2030, the NCCAP, and the current ‘5000+ MW in 40 months initiative’. Geothermal power has the potential to provide reliable, cost-competitive, baseload power with a small carbon footprint, and reduces vulnerability to climate by diversifying power supply away from hydropower, which currently provides the majority of Kenya’s electricity. Kenya has set out ambitious targets for geothermal energy. It aims to expand its geothermal power production capacity to 5,000 MW by 2030, with a medium-term target of installing 1,887 MW by 2017. Although there is significant political will and ambition, reaching these ambitious goals is a major challenge. [3]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.iaea.org/nuclearenergy/nuclearknowledge/schools/NEM-school/2012/Japan/PDFs/week2/CR6_Kenya.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.iaea.org/nuclearenergy/nuclearknowledge/schools/NEM-school/2012/Japan/PDFs/week2/CR6_Kenya.pdf
  3. ↑ Inside Story: Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) to accelerate geothermal power: Lessons from Kenya
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