GDC and Nakuru County, Kenya sign MOU for geothermal heat park
Geothermal direct use at greenhouse at Menengai, Kenya (source: Helen Robinson)
Carlo Cariaga
3 Oct 2022
GDC and the Nakuru County in Kenya have signed an MOU for an industrial park that will be using residual heat from geothermal power plants for direct use applications.
Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company (GDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nakuru County to establish a geothermal heat park. This will be an industrial park that will make use of residual heat from GDC’s geothermal power plants for direct-use industrial applications such as timber drying, milk pasteurization, and grain drying.
GDC Managing Director Jared Othieno had previously appealed to investors to establish industrial parks in the Menengai and Baringo-Silali geothermal areas, while also announcing that GDC has been conducting pilot test for geothermal direct-use applications. Earlier this year, GDC also announced plans to build a geothermal spa at the Menengai steam field to diversify its revenue sources.
“For the heat park, the most important component is the geothermal heat mined from steam,” explained Othieno. “We have abundance of heat. That heat is readily available. It’s clean and supports various industrial processes.”
The use of geothermal steam instead of fossil fuels in manufacturing positions GDC as a vital component in Kenya’s energy transition strategy and can make Kenya a more attractive investment destination for companies seeking green energy.
In an elaborate report, Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, the International Energy Agency (IEA) is discouraging the selling of fossil fuel boilers beyond 2025 as a pathway of achieving net zero by 2050. Indeed, in Kenya, the future of heating industrial boilers will no doubt be through the perfect mix of geothermal energy and technology that is shaping up at places like Menengai.
Source: GDC
