GEG brings two more geothermal wellhead plants online in Kenya
With its latest two geothermal wellhead plants now operational, Green Energy Group is fully engaged in supporting Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen)’s plan to expand Kenya’s utilization of its geothermal resources both to satisfy its ever increasing power demands and to lower electricity costs.
Green Energy Group AS (GEG) announces that it has successfully tested its second and third geothermal wellhead power plants at Olkaria Geothermal field, Kenya. Both OLK02 & 03 plants became operational in February 2014 and having successfully completed the required testing program, will be handed over to KenGen later his month. With each plant providing nameplated capacity of 6.4 MW, GEG has over the last few months added over 15MW of much needed power to the Kenyan national grid network.
OLK02 & 03 are the first two of several additional plants being built by GEG, as part of a large supply contract with Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) for the supply of 65MW in the geothermal field of Olkaria, near Naivasha, Kenya. GEG built a 5 MW pilot plant in 2011, which has been operating successfully since early 2012. Furthermore under the extended contract KenGen hold an option to acquire another 5 of GEG’s modular wellhead power plants.
Kenya is currently driving an ambitious geothermal development plan, planning to derive around 30 percent of its electricity from geothermal power. This requires an increase of installed geothermal power generation capacity of up to 5,000 MW by 2030. Currently, Kenya has an installed geothermal power generation capacity of 267 MW
The announcement comes after a visit to the plants by the Managing Director of KenGen Albert Mugo, who together with a members of his senior management team were shown around the wellhead site by Terje Laugerud, CEO of Green Energy Group.
“We were delighted to show the new plants to the management of KenGen, highlighting our commitment and dedication to provide geothermal wellhead power plants to help KenGen and Kenya reach its geothermal development goals. With several other plants at different stages of construction, we are on target to bring up to 8 more plants online this year.”, stated Laugerud,.
With the installation of wellhead geothermal power plants at distributed wells drilled in the Olkaria geothermal field, near Naivasha, Kenya, KenGen aims to speed up development of its geothermal power projects.
Picture: KenGen management on site visit to OLK02 and OLK03 plants at Olkaria, picture by Lydur Skulason for Green Energy Group
Source: Company release
[Disclaimer: The working for Green Energy Group AS]