Kenya adds 86.6MW of Geothermal Power Generation into the Grid.

Kenya’s Electricity Generating Company has announced Phase 5 of their Olkaria geothermal project to have been added onto the grid. Plant unit 1 was able to reach a full load of 86.6MW above its rated capacity of 82.7MW. Construction of the geothermal plant began in January 2017.

Ken Gen is now working on Unit 2 with related capacity as unit 1 which combined is expected to generate a total of 165.4MW. Previously, the geothermal energy contribution to the national grid was 533MW and when Olkaria V is complete, that will increase to 698MW.

Unit 2 is undergoing pre-commissioning tests before coming online in 2020. The two plants are being supplied b by around 500 tonnes of dry steam per hour at temperatures of about 270 centigrade.

Geothermal power coming from Olkaria has contributed a lot to the energy being consumed by the Kenyan Populations. Kenya is aiming to have 5530MW of geothermal power to power its industrialization plans as part of vision 2030