280MW Olkaria power project set for completion in March next year

Last Updated 13 years ago by Kenya Engineer

Power deficit in the country could be a thing of the past as a 280-megawatt (MW) geothermal project is on course to completion. Officials of Sinopec International Petroleum Company (SIPC), a Chinese firm that won the contract to lay pipes from all the steam wells to the geothermal plants in Olkaria, say the project will be completed by March next year.

Reports from the project site indicate that wells targeted for power production have been successfully drilled.The 57 wells can generate 380 MW. The piping systems will deliver steam from geothermal wells to Olkaria 1 unit 4 and 5 and Olkaria 4 power plants each with a capacity to generate 140 mw. It is estimated the project will cost Sh49.3 billion.

Other major works are construction of the power plant and transmission lines and sub stations. Data shows only 200 MW of geothermal power has been exploited in the country out of a potential of about 7,000 MW. The Government plans to develop 5,000 MW of geothermal power by 2030, requiring at least Sh1.53 trillion in funding.

Though the upfront cost for its generation is high, geothermal is cheaper and cleaner than other forms of energy and the government is putting more emphasis on this power source. According to Pierre Audinet, clean energy program team leader at the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), geothermal delivers carbon-free access to electricity. “It is relatively clean and nonpolluting, and can provide constant power.

For many developing countries, this is a potentially transformative resource,” says Audinet. The country’s geothermal power exploration receives funding from the World Bank and Kfw of Germany. “This financing is a major step in the journey to realize this reliable energy,” said KenGen Managing Director Eddy Njoroge during the signing of the contract with SIPC.

The European Investment Bank and KenGen are funding high voltage substations and transmission lines while the government is financing the drilling of wells. Experts say when the project is complete, he country will be mitigated from the hydro power supply, which is adversely affected by drought.
 
Source:The People