Fuji Electric wins contract for its first geothermal power plant in Africa
Fuji Electric has won a contract for the construction of a 70 MW geothermal power plant for Unit 6 of the Olkaria I geothermal power plant complex of KenGen in Olkaria, Kenya.
We previously reported on the EPC contract for the Olkaria I Unit 6 geothermal project for Marubeni. Now Fuji Electric has shared details on the award of the contract for the complete geothermal power facility for the Olkaria I Unit 6 geothermal plant by KenGen.
This is Fuji Electric’s first geothermal contract in Africa, having so far built delivered 36 geothermal power generation units in Asia and Oceania (China, Indonesia, New Zealand and the Philippines), 9 units in Europe (Turkey and Iceland), 7 units in Japan, and 26 units in the Americas (U.S., El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico).
The Olkaria geothermal field is located about 120 km northwest of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. It began operations in 1981 and was the nation’s first geothermal power station. It currently runs five turbines with a combined output of approx. 185 MW, making it one of the largest geothermal power stations in Africa. The contract calls for construction of a new 6th power generation unit (Unit 6). Construction funds for the project will be provided in the form of an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and financing through the European Development Bank.
- Project name: Olkaria I Additional Unit 6 Geothermal Power Development Project
- Location: Nakuru County, Republic of Kenya<
- Output: 70 MW (nominal)
- Expected Year of Commercial Operation: 2021
Geothermal power is a form of renewable energy generated from steam and hot water within the earth. Fuji Electric has been developing its geothermal power business since 1960, installing facilities in the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iceland, Japan, and other areas around the world. To date, Fuji Electric has received orders for 81 power generation facilities (steam turbines, generators, etc.) with a combined installed capacity of 3,132 MW.
Under its long-term development blueprint, Kenya Vision 2030, the government of Kenya has set a development target to expand its geothermal power capacity to 5,000 megawatts by 2030. In East Africa, countries like Ethiopia and Djibouti have plans to develop new geothermal power stations as well. Fuji Electric wished to take this opportunity to increase it’s supply records of geothermal steam turbine generators in Africa, in the hopes of contributing to both economic development and environmental conservation in the region.
Source: Company release by email