World’s biggest one-off geothermal project launched

Last Updated 14 years ago by Kenya Engineer

KenGen today commissions another one of its line of geothermal plants in Olkaria. The 280 mega watt geothermal project becomes Africa’s largest geothermal plant so far and the world’s biggest one-off geothermal project.

The project will see KenGen raise its current generating capacity by 25 per cent. This marks over 80 per cent increase in electricity from green sources with geothermal contributing 35 per cent up from 10 per cent of KenGen’s total capacity.

“The project is certainly a game changer in our generating mix”, said KenGen’s managing Director Eddy Njoroge in a statement.

The project will encompass two plants each having two-units and generating a total of 140MW of electricity from geothermal sources. It will be based in the Olkaria complex where two other geothermal plants-Olkaria I and II are located. Olkaria I has an output of 45MW with three installed turbines while Olkaria II has also three turbines with a total output of 105MW of electricity. The Olkaria complex currently generates a total of 150MW of power. Once the 280MW project is complete in 2014, the area will be generating a total of 430MW electricity.

Steam wells for the project have been drilled already. With successful piloting of the wellhead generators, power generation from these steam wells will continue even as the permanent power plants are constructed.

The project was funded the government of Kenya,KenGen,World Bank,JICA,AFD,EIB,KfW will be implemented in lots by KEC  of India, Sinopec of China, a consortium of Hyundai of Korea and Toyota Tshusho,KenGen and Sinclair Knight Mertz of New Zealand.

A field optimization study recently concluded by Mannvit Consortium of Iceland confirmed the availability of more steam able to generate a further 560MW of electricity.