Geothermal efforts in Kenya to receive $155 million under new government budget

In the new budget for 2017/ 2018 presented by the Treasury of Kenya, geothermal has been budgeted with a capital expenditure of KES 16.4 billion (around $155 million) as part of the activities of the State Department for Energy. This representas around 22% of total expenditure of the Department estimated for the 2017/2018 time frame.

The items are:

• Geothermal and Coal Resource Exploration and Development: Geotechnical studies (one)
• Bogoria-Silali Geothermal Project: MW of steam – target 2019/2020 100 MW
• Olkaria I and IV: MW of Power, target 2018/2019 70 MW, target 2019/2020 59 MW
• Support for Development of RenewableEnergy (GDC): Steam available for conversion, target 2017/2018 – 60 MW, target 2018/2019 – 65 MW, target 2019/ 2020 – 70 MW
• Menengai Geothermal Project: Steam generation – target 2017/2018 – 357 MW, target 2018/19 – 417 MW, target 2019/20 – 417 MW
• Menengai Geothermal Project: Power generated – target 2018/ 2019 – 105 MW, target 2019/20 – 105 MW
• Menengai Geothermal Project: number of wells drilled – target 2017/18 – 24, target 2018/19 – 12, target 2019/20 12
• Olkaria V: power generation, target 2018/19 – 140 MW, 2019/20 – 140 MW
• Menengai Project – 460 MW: Steam gathering system 100% completion target for 2017/18
• Geothermal Projects: Drilling of exploration wells: 20 wells and 2 feasibility studies for each target time frame

These budget items provide a good overview on some of the key development targets:

• Olkaria (KenGen): development of 140 MW by 2020 at Olkaria V and an additional 129 MW to be added through smaller plants at Olkaria I and IV.
• Menengai/ GDC: continued exploration and drilling, with steam generation up to 417 MW by 2018/2019 and a power generation capacity of 105 MW by 2018/ 2019
• Bogoria-Silali (GDC): steam production of up to 100 MW by 2019/ 2020.

Source: Kenya Treasury Budget 2017/ 2018 (attention rather large pdf)