Kenya has emerged the 8th largest geothermal power producer in the world according to global ranking.
The East African country climbed up to its new position after it commissioned the Olkaria V geothermal power plant.
The power project added 82.7 megawatts to the country’s power grid, a development which has seen Kenya leapfrog Iceland and technology juggernaut Japan in the ranking of geothermal countries. The power plant is expected to add a total of 158MW to the grid once Unit 2 is synchronized to the grid by end of August.
KenGen’s Managing Director Rebecca Miano said, “We are delighted to announce the completion of the first unit of the Olkaria V geothermal power plant and subsequently injecting 79 megawatts to the national grid”.
Mrs. Miano also explained that the Olkaria V unit brings to 612 megawatts, the total amount of installed geothermal power capacity by KenGen. Geothermal power (612MW) complements other power sources such as hydro (819.9 MW), thermal (253.5 MW), and wind (25.5 MW).
Kenya relies heavily on renewable energy which has seen the country dominate the renewable energy sector in Africa. Kenya is also the first geothermal power producer in Africa.
The sector also accounts for the employment of about 10,000 people in the country as the number continues to rise.
Just recently, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the largest wind farm in Africa dubbed the Lake Turkana Wind Project (LTWP). The project that is spread over 40,000 acres can generate up to 310 MW.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has gauged that Kenya’s wind energy capacity will hit 3,000 Megawatts (MW), more than double the current national demand.
