Kenya plans to significantly increase the amount of energy generated by geothermal facilities. The country is already Africas largest producer of geothermal power thanks to its strategic position over shifting tectonic plates. Over the next two to three years, the government plans to invest US$1.4bn in the construction of several new geothermal power plants with a total installed generation capacity of 280MW. By 2030, Kenya hopes to be generating 5GW of power from geothermal power; that would put Kenya among world leaders in geothermal terms.
Considering this key themes, major trend and changes for Kenyas power sector this quarter include:
Kenyas state-owned power operator Kenya Electricity Generation Company (KenGen) has generated US$920mn for its Olkaria IV geothermal plant, which will receive joint funding from KenGen, the Kenyan government, the World Bank, Germanys KfW, the European Investment Bank, the Japan International Corporation Agency and the French Development Agency. The plant will have a capacity of 280MW, and is scheduled to become operational in 2014, with an investment of nearly US$1bn. Kenya has the potential geothermal capacity of 7,000MW, and is aiming production of at least 5,000MW by 2030.