Geothermal supplies largest share to Kenya’s growing electricity demand

KenGen's newest 83MW geothermal power plant, Olkaria I Unit 6 (source: KenGen)

Carlo Cariaga 30 May 2022

Kenya hit a new peak gross energy demand on 18 May 2022 according to the Daily System Operation and Dispatch Analysis Report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA). The new record is 37,273.17 MWh, up 2.5% from the figure of 36,280.63 MWh recorded in November last year. The growth in electricity demand is indicative of the country’s accelerated growth and recovery from the slowdown that was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More interestingly, the Olkaria geothermal power station of KenGen provided the largest share in supplying this peak demand at 14,763.37 MWh. The hydropower stations of KenGen contributed an additional 1,988.42 MWh, a 25% increase from a previous analysis period.

Commenting on the report, KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Rebecca Miano said the report is a reflection of KenGen’s ongoing strategic efforts to meet the country’s growing demand for electricity through harnessing Kenya’s rich renewable energy sources.

KenGen currently has 713 MW of geothermal power generation capacity at their operations in Olkaria, Naivasha. Construction of Unit 6 of Olkaria was completed earlier this year, which will add another 83 MW to the total capacity. KenGen is currently preparing for the commissioning of Olkaria Unit 6.

“KenGen is committed to ensuring steady and reliable supply of competitively priced electricity to support Kenya’s economy. The company is doing this by accelerating deployment of renewable energy sources such as geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar.” said Rebecca Miano.

Source: Email correspondence