When Kenya opened the Olkaria power plant 4 decades ago, it was seen more as a research project than a commercial venture. The facility is located in Hell’s Gate National Park, a barren zone of volcanic rock that is permeated by sulphurous gases and is mainly populated by warthogs and zebras. The untested and costly geothermal technology was experimental at best, with the 1st unit expected to power around 10,000 homes. Today, Olkaria generates.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 22nd July 2021

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved 2 grants totaling USD 83.6m to boost cross-border trade in electricity between Ethiopia and Djibouti. The funds are made up of a USD 69.65 million grant to Ethiopia and a USD 13.93 million grant to Djibouti. Both the grants are sourced from the African Development Fund, which is the AfDB’s concessional financing window. The Ethiopia & Djibouti 2nd Power Interconnection project will.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 22nd July 2021

Djibouti and Ethiopia have secured finance to build a second electricity transmission line after the two neighbours enjoyed the returns from the first project that linked their power grids. The first project has enabled Djibouti to import Ethiopia's hydropower-processed, renewable and cheap electricity. After, the two countries agreed to further develop the project, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has now approved two grant loans.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 21st July 2021

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority through a statement said the process will assist in spurring investment in mini-grids in the country, to boost electrification in underserved areas distant from the main-grid. The authority said it will conduct a nationwide sensitization and consultative sessions before the next stages of validation. The 1st forum was held in Garissa town, and thereafter in Lodwar, Mombasa, and later in.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 19th July 2021

InfraCo Africa and Rural Village Energy Solutions are committing USD 8 million to support the scale-up of Kudura Power East Africa in rural Kenya. InfraCo Africa, which is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group, will become a 40 per cent shareholder of minigrid operator Rural Village Energy Solutions’ Kudura Power East Africa. Gilles Vaes, CEO of InfraCo Africa said they are committed to scaling up minigrids as a.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 19th July 2021

The 100MW Kipeto wind farm project in Kenya has been completed. Pan-African developer BTE Renewables and Kenyan-owned renewable developer, Craftskills announced that all of the project’s 60 wind turbines are now producing power to the national grid. Located in Kajiado County, Kipeto is Kenya’s second-largest wind power project with a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with KPLC.  It is part of the former US President Barack Obama’s.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 12th July 2021

The government through the Ministry of Energy has allocated TZS 181 billion for rural electrification in the 2021/22 fiscal year. Minister for Energy, Dr Medard Kalemani told the parliament on 2nd June 2021 that all villages will be electrified by the end of year 2022. Tabling his ministry's TZS 2.3 trillion budget, Dr Medard Kalemani said at least 1,956 villages are yet to be connected with electricity, and that with the coming fiscal.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 18th June 2021

Earlier this year, the Lake Turkana Wind Power farm, consisting of 365 turbines, recorded its highest capacity factor rating. In March 2021, the Lake Turkana Wind Power plant's consortium announced that it had recorded a "good month" having achieved an average capacity factor of 75.8 per cent, "the highest in the last 31 months that we have been in operation." The capacity factor is a unit less measurement of how much electricity a.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 3rd September 2021

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), Kenya's largest power producer, plans to commission unit 6 of its Olkaria I geothermal power plant before the end of this year. The steam plant is being built by the Japanese companies Marubeni Corporation and Fuji Electric. Marubeni Corporation is on track to meet its line-up. The Japanese company chosen by KenGen for the construction of Unit 6 of the Olkaria I geothermal power plant had.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 25th May 2021

The Kenyan state-owned Geothermal Development Company has launched a call for expressions of interest for the direct use of geothermal steam at the Menengai site in the Rift Valley in western Kenya. Interested investors have until May 24th, 2021 to apply. Geothermal Development Company is on its way to diversify the use of geothermal steam in Kenya’s Rift Valley. Geothermal Development Company has just launched a tender to investors for.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 19th May 2021

Work is progressing on the Tulu Moye geothermal site in Ethiopia. Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the company carrying out the field work, has just completed the 1st geothermal drilling at the site in the Oromia region of southwest Ethiopia. The Nairobi, Kenya-based energy company has now started drilling the 2nd geothermal well. Under the US$ 52 million contract, KenGen will drill a total of 8 wells in the Ethiopian Rift.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 19th April 2021

Kenya is the most advanced country in the Eastern Africa in terms of exploiting its geothermal resources. Nairobi wants to grow its installed electricity capacity and diversify the use of geothermal heat. This is the main rationale behind the partnership which was recently signed between the state-owned Geothermal Development Company, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the African Union Commission. Through the new.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 14th May 2021