Ormat Completes Phase 2 on Kenyan Geothermal Plant

Geothermal and recovered energy company Ormat Industries has announced that its subsidiary Ormat Technologies had completed its second phase of construction on a new geothermal plant in Kenya.

The plant, dubbed the Olkaria III, will add 35 MW of base load capacity to the existing 13 MW plant which has been in operation since 2001. The company said the expansion of the power plant will save 120,000 tons of imported oil, mitigate carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce the production costs of electricity in Kenya. The project will increase the supply to the local transmission, distribution, and retail utility Kenya Power and Lighting Company.

Ormat financed the construction of both phases – around $150 million – along with the drilling of wells in Kenya.

"Ormat is proud to have built up the plant capacity to the original target of 48 MW," said Lucien Bronicki, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Ormat. "This accomplishment was made possible by Ormat’s belief in Kenya‘s economy combined with the hard work and dedication of our Kenyan employees and colleagues."