Feb 12th 2021- Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has signed a Sh709 million contract to drill three geothermal wells in Djibouti.
The deal signed between KenGen and Djiboutien De Développement De lenergie Géothermique (Djiboutian Office of Geothermal Energy Development will see the firm export its expertise in the field being the third such deal in the region.
The Kenyan delegation, led by Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter and KenGen Managing Director Rebecca Miano, has been in Djibouti since Tuesday for the signing ceremony.
In attendance at Galla Le Koma, Djibouti, was Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Charles Keter, and KenGen Managing Director & CEO, Mrs. Rebecca Miano.
Speaking during the event, Hon. Keter pointed out that African nation’s shared the common aspiration of delivering electricity to their people, which, he said, provided an opportunity to work together to meet the continent’s energy needs.
“The biggest challenge has remained access (to electricity) in remote areas, and in Sub-Saharan Africa with 573 million people not having access to this important commodity. Although energy access policies have continued to bear fruit, with 2019 data showing tremendous progress, we have seen the Coronavirus pandemic reverse the gains. We can only remain optimistic that things will change in 2021,” the CS said.
He added the country had made remarkable progress in increasing access to electric power as a result of deliberate government efforts and private sector investment.
Kenya’s journey towards harnessing geothermal energy, he added, started in the 1950s and assured Djibouti of support in enabling it to realize its geothermal potential.
“To date, we have drilled more than 300 wells within the Olkaria field, which is the bedrock of Kenya’s geothermal energy production. As a country, we have a geothermal energy potential of 10,000MW along the Rift Valley with the resource being harnessed in 23 sites,” he said.
In 2019, Kenya’s power installed capacity was 2,818.9 MW. Currently, the country’s energy mix comprises geothermal (29%), hydro (29%), wind (12%), solar and others (2%) and thermal (28%).