Kenya: Olkaria Geothermal Power Project Wins International Award

Olkaria Geothermal Expansion Project, Rift Valley Province, Kenya (POWER magazine)

POWER magazine today officially announced winners of its 2015 Top Plants in the renewable generation category. The Olkaria Geothermal Expansion Project was one of the six winners.

Olkaria I  (Courtesy: Toshiba Corp.)

The Olkaria geothermal field has since been divided into seven portions for ease of development and management. Olkaria I now hosts a KenGen power plant with three 15 MW turbogenerators that were commissioned between 1981 and 1985. That field was expanded this February by 140 MW with the addition of two new 70 MW units. KenGen says the increase of steam in the field was due to drilling wells of 3,000 m, deeper than earlier wells that were drilled to between 900 m and 2,200 m.

Olkaria II hosts a 2003-commissioned 70 MW power plant and a 2010-commissioned 35 MW unit (for a total installed capacity of 105 MW). Olkaria III hosts a 110 MW power plant owned by OrPower 4, operating Organic Rankine Cycle binary plant turbines. At Olkaria IV, where a potential of more than 350 MW has been shown as a result of drilling over the last decade, another 140 MW power plant was completed and commissioned in 2014.

Plans under way include building a sixth 70 MW unit at Olkaria I, the two-unit, 140 MW Olkaria V project, and the two-unit, 140 MW Olkaria VI project.

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