Olkaria I Unit 3 geothermal power facility in Kenya connected to grid following rehabilitation
Olkaria I Unit 1, 2, and 3 geothermal power plant, Kenya (source: Steam Srl)
Carlo Cariaga
12 Jun 2026
The upgraded Unit 3 of the Olkaria I geothermal power station in Kenya has now been connected to the grid, with Units 1 and 2 expected to follow soon.
Unit 3 of the Olkaria I geothermal power station in Naivasha, Kenya has now been connected to the grid. This follows rehabilitation and upgrade of the existing power plant, thus increasing its output and improving its efficiency.
The announcement was made by Shandong Electric Power Construction No. 3 (SEPCO3), a subsidiary of China Power Construction Corporation, which served as the EPC service provider for the project. According to the company, the new power generation unit is operating stably after the grid connection.
The Olkaria I geothermal power station, the oldest in Kenya, was shut down in 2023 to give way to rehabilitation work. An update given by KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Eng. Peter Njenga in mid-2025 indicated that the entire rehabilitation project is on track to be completed by June 2026. The scope of the project includes the replacement of turbines and generators of Units 1 to 3, which will increase the total capacity from 45 MW to 63 MW.
KenGen had also previously secured Cabinet approval for a proposed Olkaria VII geothermal power project, targeting new additional capacity of 80.3 MW. The company stated that they are targeting for the facility to start supplying to the national grid by June 2027.
Source: SEPCO
