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KenGen sets ambitious 5-year 580 MW geothermal development target

KenGen sets ambitious 5-year 580 MW geothermal development target Wellhead plants of British Green Energy Geothermal (GEG) at Olkaria, Kenya (source: GEG/ Lydur Skulason)
Alexander Richter 5 Dec 2016

Over the next 5 years, KenGen is pushing forward with an ambitious 5-year geothermal development plan, to add up to 580 MW in electricity generation capacity through 7 projects at Olkaria.

At its recent Annual Meeting, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has announced plans to add 721Megawatts (MW) of electricity from geothermal and wind sources to the national grid in the next five years at a cost of Sh800 billion ($7.7 billion).

This is in line with the country’s energy plans to make power more accessible and affordable for businesses and the general public.

KenGen has secured some funding from development partners and internal resources, but will require additional financing through various partners and sources. In June 2016, KenGen successfully raised $255 (Sh 26.4 billion)

Of the planned 721 MW in power generation capacity, 581 MW are expected to come from geothermal and 140 MW from wind projects.

The projects lined up for completion by 2020 comprise the Olkaria V 140MW, Olkaria VI 140MW, Olkaria VII 140MW, Olkaria I Unit 6 70MW, Wellheads 25MW, Olkaria I Rehabilitation 5.7MW, Olkaria I AU & IV topping plant 60MW.

The Meru Wind Faze I 80MW, Geothermal Wellheads 50MW and Ngong III project 10MW are also at an advanced stage.

“With our internal well equipped and motivated workforce coupled with requisite funding from our bilateral partners for the projects in the pipeline, KenGen is well positioned to deliver on promise and continue to be the market leader in the provision of competitively price electric energy in the country,” said Mugo.

Source: AllAfrica