Kenya is topping Alternative Energy Africa’s headlines this week with the latest news that the country will soon see more geothermal exploration, thanks to a grant provided by the African Union Commission (AUC).
The Africa Geothermal International Kenya (AGIL) announced that it signed an $8.4-million grant with the AUC to facilitate the exploration of geothermal resource in Longonot. AGIL president and CEO Fassine Fofana said they were targeting to produce more than 140 MW of renewable electricity."The drilling is at a cost of $36 Million and this funding comes in handy," he said.
The environmental assessments and required permits have been completed to begin the exploratory drilling program with hopes of making a commercial discovery. Fofana said the full construction of the plant will cost around $600 million employing up to 1,000 people during the construction phase. "As a private sector project, Longonot will bring much needed investment into Kenya without burden on the taxpayers geothermal power is among the lowest cost power available in sub-Saharan Africa and is cost effective without subsidies," he said.
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