Kenya: Olkaria Geothermal Plant Reducing the Equivalent of 149,632 tons of CO2 Per Year

Olkaria Geothermal Plant Reducing the Equivalent of 149,632 tons of CO2 Per Year (The World Bank)

By adding a third (35 MW) generator to an existing geothermal plant, the Olkaria II Unit 3 Geothermal Project is expanding Kenya’s renewable energy capacity and contributing about 276 GWh annually to greening the national grid. Located 132 km northwest of Nairobi, the geothermal plant is owned and operated by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen).

This geothermal expansion project is earning carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It is reducing the equivalent of 149,632 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) per year by displacing thermal electricity that would otherwise be generated by fossil fuels. The project was registered with the UNFCCC in December 2010; the World Bank’s Community Development Carbon Fund is purchasing about 480,000 carbon credits from it.

The project is also using part of the carbon revenue to finance a community benefit plan (CBP) to help poor communities living close to the geothermal plant who depend mainly on farming and livestock. The CBP, designed to address priority needs, was developed in consultation with the beneficiary communities, KenGen, regional chiefs, and local councils.

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