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KenGen to undertake drilling of geothermal wells in Ethiopia

KenGen to undertake drilling of geothermal wells in Ethiopia Exploration work in Ethiopia,video snapshot, Quantec Geoscience
Carlo Cariaga 7 Jun 2019

KenGen has been awarded a contract for the drilling and maintenance of wells for a geothermal project in Ethiopia that has been valued at $76 million

KenGen is set to extend their services to Ethiopia after they have secured a deal with Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) for rig operations, drilling, and maintenance of geothermal wells. The project was financed by the World Bank through a $76 million loan granted to the Ethiopian government.

Implementation of the project will proceed in two phases. Phase 1 will involve the purchase of the drilling rigs while 2 is for the provision of actual drilling services. KenGen will be responsible for the delivery of 30% of the components of Phase 2.

Although the geothermal potential of Ethiopia has been estimated to be as high as 10,000 MW, there has been no commercial breakthrough for geothermal power in the country. Trials were started in 1981, but the drilling rigs used back then have been left stagnant and can no longer been used.

Ethiopia has a lot to gain by developing their renewable energy sector. Currently, only about 43 percent of the population in Ethiopia has access to electricity. The 2,300 MW of installed capacity from renewable sources  is vastly insufficient to serve their population of over 100 million people.

We reported on this previously.

Source: Ventures Africa