Geothermal power boosts electricity supply, reliability

Geothermal power plant in Olkaria.

Last week, consumers got an early Christmas gift from Stima Plaza when power-generating company KenGen announced impressive figures on the country’s energy situation in the third quarter of this year.

For the first time in Kenya’s history, the country saw more power generated from geothermal sources than from traditional, rainfall-reliant hydroelectric generation.

“In the month of October, we had geothermal power generation account for more of our supply, surpassing power that was generated from our hydros,” said KenGen Managing Director Albert Mugo.

November, which is usually characterised by heavy rains, was dry this time round, but the country was able to enjoy uninterrupted power supply as geothermal generation filled the gap.

This new development has enabled the country stamp its authority as the continent’s largest producer of geothermal energy and a formidable force in renewable energy.

Exporting energy

Already, the country is exporting energy generated from its geothermal wells in the seismic Rift Valley, and KenGen is upbeat that this will be scaled up to make the country not only a renewable energy powerhouse, but also an exporter of the same.

“We are already net exporters of energy to our neighbours Uganda, and we have been able to contain the demand of energy in Kenya without any load shed and are able to export the surplus,” said Mr Mugo.

However, even as the country makes impressive strides towards achieving affordable renewable energy solutions, the cost for new connections still remains high, with close to 60 per cent of the country left off the electricity grid.

Nairobi has the highest electricity penetration at 72 per cent, but for most of the country, particularly rural areas, the connection rate remains dismal.

Turkana County has the lowest penetration, with just 2 per cent of households connected to the electricity grid. This is despite the fact that the county is listed as having the largest potential for renewable energy in the country.

[email protected]