While many renewable energy projects are getting underway or are in the pipeline in Africa, one project actually holds the title for one of the largest fully completed renewable energy projects in 2010.
The Olkaria II, a 35-MW expansion to the Olkara geothermal power plant, made the overall Olkaria Geothermal Power Project the largest geothermal plant in Africa and the third biggest project fully completed in 2010. The 35 MW upped the total generating capacity of the geothermal plant to 105 MW. Sinclair Knight Merz was awarded the overall consultancy contract in 1998 for the expansion, helping to engineer, design, and supervise the five major contracts: power plant, steam field engineering, site civil works, switchyards, and transmission lines.
The project, located in Kenya’s Rift Valley about 120 km from Nairobi, began in 1981 when the Olkaria I was first commissioned. Ormat Industries’ subsidiary Ormat Technologies completed construction on the Olkaria II that is said to save around 120,000 tons of imported oil. The East African country also received help from international donors such as France’s development assistant program Agence Française de Développement (AFD). In October 2009, the AFD announced that it would provide about sh12.7 billion toward Kenya’s geothermal sector with about sh5.5 billion heading to the Olkaria Geothermal Power Project.
In addition, Japan announced a sh23.4 billion loan to further develop the geothermal power within Kenya. The loan, announced at the end of March 2010, was also set to help in the construction of two new units at the Olkaria I. Kenya is actively trying to pursue its goals to generate at least 500 MW of geothermal energy by 2030.
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