Company selected for study on genset topping unit for geothermal plants at Olkaria
U.S. based Langson Energy has been chosen for a feasibility study on utilising a specialised genset for a topping unit for high pressure geothermal wells to capture waste energy and generate additional electricity at Olkaria, Kenya.
It has been announced that Langson Energy, Inc. (LEI), a USA energy equipment manufacturer, was selected by Kenya Electricity Generating Limited (KenGen), producer of around 80% of the power consumed in Kenya, to conduct a green technology feasibility study for their Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant. KenGen has been searching for a specialized genset that can be installed upstream as a topping unit capable of accepting high pressure geothermal wellhead pressures to capture the waste energy and generate additional clean electricity.
Representatives from KenGen and the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), which will be partially funding the study, were in Nairobi, Kenya for this historic grant signing on April 27, 2017. “USTDA is pleased to facilitate new business partnerships between U.S. and Kenyan companies that can spur long-term, sustainable economic growth,” said Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Director Lida Fitts. “The adoption of innovative and cost-effective U.S. technology can help Kenya to meet its energy development goals.”
This study will evaluate the technical, commercial, financial, and environmental viability of utilizing Langson Energy’s 5 MW Total Flow Generator to make more efficient use of the geothermal resource at Olkaria. Upon the successful results of the study, KenGen and LEI will have the opportunity to install a number of additional units in the more than 275 wells which will optimize power plant efficiency and greatly impact the electric footprint in the country.
Langson Energy‘s Senior Engineer, Dr. Ron DiPippo, will be the Geothermal Expert on the project working with a team of 10 other experts. As Author of 4 major books including, Geothermal Power Plants: Principles, Applications and Case Studies, Dr. DiPippo is the foremost world authority and consultant on Geothermal Power Plants. In addition to Dr. DiPippo’s experience with the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant in Kenya, he has worked in many geothermally active US states and countries around the world. Dr. DiPippo states, “The advantages of a thermodynamically equivalent Total Flow Generator will lie in its simplicity, lower capital cost, ease and rapidity of installation, reliable operation, lower cost of electricity, and ability to operate on lower-temperature reservoirs, compared to either flash-steam or binary systems.”
Source: Company release