Current Status of the Geothermal Development in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya is accelerating the development of geothermal resources to meet the increasing power demand. Power demands now stands at 8% with only about 1 % of the rural population having access to electricity. For a very long time, growth of geothermal was slow as the country relied more on the hydro power production because there was adequate precipitation. With the current changes in climate and the dwindling rainfall, overreliance on hydro power production has proved to be expensive. Geothermal energy capacity ratio does not depend on the weather conditions and therefore it is more reliable. The Government has fasttracked the development of geothermal resources in the country as a source of affordable and clean power. The Government established the Geothermal Development Company with the sole purpose of making available enough steam for electricity generation by Independent Power producers (IPPs) and KenGen.