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Using geothermal allows Kenya to cut back on electricity imports

Using geothermal allows Kenya to cut back on electricity imports Uhuru Park, Nairobi/ Kenya (source: flickr/DEMOSH, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas 29 Jun 2015

Thanks to geothermal, Kenya is now completely self-sufficient in terms of power generation.

Excellent news for Kenya, since thanks to geothermal energy, the country is now “self-sufficient in terms of power generation after more than 280 MW were added to the grid last year from various geothermal projects.” as said by Kenya Power chief executive Ben Chumo.

Facing regular shortages, the country has always depended on the importation of power from neighbouring countries, at great cost for the nation and also making them vulnerable due to depending on other nations to provide this basic service.

The Kora newspaper states that “Kenya consumes an average of 540 million kWh of electricity each month, against an average 630 million kWh generated each month. Since July last year, the bulk of the country’s electricity is generated from geothermal sources, followed by hydro and thermal sources.”

After announcing earlier today that KenGen has 350MW of power available for development, Kenya could now turn to be a net exporter of green power to other African nations.

Source: Kora News