Kenya’s leading electricity generating company, KenGen, is set to add 40MW of geothermal energy to the national grid, thanks to Germany’s support. This comes after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz launched an uprating project at KenGen’s Olkaria I Additional Unit 4, 5, and Olkaria IV geothermal power plants. The 28-month project aims to increase the capacity of the two power stations from the current combined total of 300MW to 340MW.
The German government has financed the 340MW geothermal upgrading project, which involves replacing the existing turbine rotor with new-designed blades, adding 10MW to each unit of the mentioned power plants. Chancellor Scholz praised Kenya’s strong leadership in climate protection and reiterated Germany’s commitment to supporting Kenya’s transition to 100% renewable energy and adaptation to climate change.
In addition to cushioning Kenyans against rising power costs, the project’s additional 40MW capacity will help Kenya establish new revenue streams and cut the cost of production to support local agribusiness. Chancellor Scholz suggested that the green hydrogen produced from geothermal power could be used in fertiliser production.
KenGen has drilled over 320 geothermal wells within the Olkaria field, making Kenya the seventh global leader in geothermal exploration and development.
READ; KenGen Reports 11% Revenue Growth to KES 27.5 Billion in H2 2022
