Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is angling to add 40MW of geothermal energy to the grid after the German Chancellor launched an uprating project of KenGen’s Olkaria I Additional Unit 4, 5, and Olkaria IV geothermal power plants.
The project, which is expected to take a period of 28 months to complete, seeks to increase the capacity of two power stations from the current combined total of 300MW to 340MW. The additional 40MW will not only scale up geothermal energy but also cushion Kenyans against the rising cost of power.
The announcement was made during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s state visit to Kenya as he toured the KenGen Olkaria geothermal field. The 340MW geothermal uprating project has been financed by the German government and will entail the replacement of existing turbine rotor with new-designed blades, which will add 10MW to each unit of Olkaria I Additional Unit 4, 5, and two units of the Olkaria IV power plants, amounting to an additional 40MW.
“Kenya and German have entered a climate and development partnership to support Kenya in reaching a 100% renewable energy and to support the country’s adaptation to climate change,” Chancellor Scholz said.
He hinted that geothermal power can be used for green hydrogen production to aid local production of fertilizers which would help Kenya establish new revenues as well as cut cost of production to support growth of local agribusiness.
Kenya is ranked seventh globally in geothermal exploration and development, out of which over 90% is generated by KenGen. So far, the company has drilled more than 320 geothermal wells within the Olkaria field, establishing a robust, sustainable footprint in Kenya, and has made inroads in several African countries such as Ethiopia, and Djibouti.