Kenya:

Plugged in to Progress With Geothermal Energy in Kenya (Equities.com)

Jackson Kiloku, a 26-year-old Masai who herds animals and raises vegetables, stood at the far end of Inkoiriento village, a panoply of wooden and rusted tin-roofed buildings in Kenya's Nakuru County, and pointed to cables in the sky. "I hope electricity will flow through them soon," he said. "Electricity will be good for our local school and good for our businesses." Daniel Parsitau, a fellow villager added that electricity would make life at home easier as well.

Both look to Kenya's Olkaria geothermal plant, on the boundaries of Hell's Gate National Park, to deliver this new electricity. Olkaria, which has received long-term support from the World Bank and other agencies, is part of Kenya's plan to substantially increase the contribution of geothermal to the country's energy mix.

Only 16% of Kenyans have access to electricity, but with evidence of abundant geothermal resources beneath the country's share of East Africa's Rift Valley, the government plans to double geothermal generation to bring electricity to villages like Inkoiriento. Already, geothermal-developed with $300 million in support from the World Bank since 1978 -delivers about 13% of Kenya's electricity; the goal is to raise that proportion to close to 30% by 2020.

Read More.....