KenGen has announced plans to expand its geothermal power generation capacity by 400 MW in the coming 5 years.
The project seeks to increase capacity of two power stations from the current combined total of 300 MW to 340MW.
The additional 40 MW will not only scale up geothermal energy but also cushion Kenyans against the rising cost of power.
The announcement was made during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s state visit to Kenya as he toured the KenGen Olkaria geothermal field on Saturday.
The 340 MW geothermal uprating project has been financed by the German government and will entail the replacement of existing turbine rotor with new-designed blades, which will add 10 MW to each unit of Olkaria I Additional Unit 4, 5, and two units of the Olkaria IV power plants, amounting to additional 40MW.
The German Chancellor said Olkaria is an expression of Kenya’s strong leadership in climate protection and a testimony of Germany and Kenya’s cooperation.
“Kenya and Germany have entered a climate and development partnership to support Kenya in reaching 100 per cent renewable energy and to support the country’s adaptation to climate change,” the Chancellor Scholz said.
He hinted that geothermal power can be used for green hydrogen production to aid local production of fertilizers, which will help.