KENGEN
The 140MW Ngong ’ wind farm near Nairobi
Aerial view of the geothermal spa , a KenGen innovation and the only natural spa in Africa
When it comes to sustainable power , meeting emission targets , and rolling back the advance of global warming it would be hard to beat Kenya which has no coal plants and very few diesel or heavy fuel oil ( HFO ) generating stations . The nation has no fewer than 14 hydroelectric schemes on which it has traditionally relied for most of its power . Kenya has an estimated hydropower potential of about 6,000MW as of December 2014 comprising large hydros ( sites with capacity of more than 10MW ) and small hydros . Potential for small hydros is over 3,000MW , of which about 25MW has been developed . However hydro power , like wind power , is a variable resource . Over the last three years or so both the long and the short rains across East Africa have been disappointing and consequently many dams have dried up or been depleted .
Fortunately Kenya has another renewable resource , and one that is much more robust . Geothermal power generation has proven to be a highly effective technology in places , like the Great Rift Valley , where volcanic activity creates hotspots near the surface . In the decades since the inauguration of Olkaria I Power Station in 1981 , the first geothermal power plant in Africa , Kenya has forged for itself a leadership position in this field . In Kenya more than 14 high temperature potential sites occur along the Rift Valley with an estimated potential of more than 10,000 MW . Other locations include
56 April 2015