Kenya: Dependence on Geothermal Energy Rises as Hydropower Decreases

Erratic rains push Kenya to costly thermal power (Xinhua)

For about five years now, Kenya has been injecting more power from geothermal and hydro sources into the national grid as it cuts production from thermal sources.

The country produces geothermal electricity from wells located in the Rift Valley while for hydro, it has several dams situated in Eastern and western Kenya. Thermal energy, on the other hand, is produced from power plants that use diesel and fuel oil.

Of the three, geothermal has been the biggest source of electricity due to its reliability, followed by hydro and thermal.

However, all this has changed due to erratic weather that has forced Kenya to alter its energy production from the three sources.

Production from geothermal stood at 376 million KWh in June having remained stable throughout the period. The source contributes about 45 percent of power in the energy mix.

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