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| Harmony with Nature - Abraham Sam Samuel (GRC Photo Contest 2011) |
The Rift Valley in East Africa is recorded to have about 15,000 MW of potential geothermal capacity. With Kenya at the leading edge – set to increase generation from 672 MW to 5,000 MW by 2030 – neighbouring Djibouti, Ethiopia and Tanzania have indicated ambitions to extend their geothermal energy profiles.
The challenge however is centred on the lack of experienced geothermal operators and available training in Africa, which makes this development somewhat risky.
The Big Question we asked the experts is: What are the unique skills and training needed for geothermal development and operation and how can this be achieved for Africa’s unique operations?
According to Phyllis Gathoni Mathenge, Drilling engineer at Geothermal Development Company, Kenya is in a unique position to host such trainings as it has all aspects of geothermal development from green geothermal fields, geothermal fields under appraisal, exploration and production drilling, as well as geothermal developed fields and power plants.