Construction of new power plant due for completion
Steam venting from a geothermal power generating plant in Olkaria, Naivasha.
The construction of the 83MW Olkaria I unit 6 geothermal power plant is expected to be completed by December or early next year.
According to the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) chief executive Rebecca Miano, this will further push Kenya’s green energy portfolio and help reduce the cost of electricity in Kenya.
She affirmed that the country was committed to fast-tracking the deployment of renewable energy as a driver for economic development.
“KenGen is committed to ensuring a steady and reliable supply of competitively priced electric energy to support Kenya’s economy. The company is doing this by accelerating deployment of renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, wind and solar,” said Ms Miano.
Currently, the power firm has an installed generation capacity of 1,818MW, with more than 86 per cent of it drawn from green sources, namely hydro (826MW), geothermal (713MW), thermal (253MW), and wind (26MW).
Ms Miano said KenGen fully supported the government’s effort of achieving 100 per cent utilisation of renewable energy by 2030 as a way of fighting climate change.
During her maiden tour of the Naivasha-based company last week, Energy Cabinet Secretary, Dr Monica Juma said renewable energy was the preferred option for Kenya, adding that the move would also help attract foreign investments in Kenya’s energy sector
“My visit to Olkaria comes a month after the conclusion of the COP26 conference where Kenya was a global reference point in the field of renewable energy,” said Dr Juma.
She termed it a befitting moment to witness the glowing recognition that Kenya continues to receive for promoting the generation of clean and renewable energy.
