At the same time, a new 36 MW facility will be added next to the 48 MW Olkaria complex near Lake Naivasha, 70km (40 miles) northwest of Nairobi, ready to come online in 2013.
The agreement with KPLC includes an option to increase the 84 MW capacity of the expanded plant to 100MW, subject to assessment of the geothermal reservoir. The project has been developed in stages, with the first 8MW being constructed in 2000.
“Gradual development of a geothermal resource reduces a number of risks as data is continuously refined while the process moves forward,” said Dita Bronicki, CEO of Ormat.
“Using this phased approach, a power plant’s final design and future drilling programs are based on reliable resource data derived from long-term and on-going operation of the geothermal wells at commercial conditions, rather than the short term tests that are customary in the geothermal industry,” Bronicki said.
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