“In Kenya alone, there is a potential of approximately 10 000 MW of electric power,” said Dr. Nicholas Mariita, Chief Geothermal Training Officer at Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the country’s state utility, and a scheduled speaker at the conference.
According to KenGen, state-owned and IPP geothermal plants currently contribute some 202 MW of Kenya’s annual 1597 MW power generation.
Mariita said, “to attain Vision 2030, Kenya needs to increase electrical production from 1597 MW to around 17 760 MW in order to satisfy the projected power peak demand of 15 000 MW in year 2030.
"This demands a 1200 percent expansion of power generation, of which, approximately 7000 MW will come from geothermal resources. Thus, huge capacity development is required to increase geothermal power generation,” he said.
The Great Rift Valley, running from Middle East to Mozambique (through Ethiopia, North & South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi) is considered to have great potential for geothermal energy, particularly in East Africa, where geothermal manifestations such as hot springs, fumaroles and geysers are prevalent.
However, Mariita said, "Only Kenya has made significant efforts to harness this potential so far.
"To develop this resource, it has developed a geothermal development Act of Parliament," he continued. "Most countries of the EARS have no strategy and inadequate legislative and regulatory frameworks for the development of the geothermal subsector. Existing regional initiatives are mostly focusing on exploration and site/project-specific activities such as (pre-) feasibility studies, project implementation planning, negotiation of power purchase agreements.”
Speaker and topic highlights from the EAPIC Geothermal Power Summit will include:
• Geothermal capacity building: collaboration between higher learning institutes and the sector
- Dr Nicholas Mariita, Superintendent, KenGen, Kenya
• Financing options for geothermal projects
- Kirsten Offermanns, Principal Project Manager, KfW Development Commission, Germany
• Geothermal exploration
- Ludvik Georgsson, Deputy Director, United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme, Iceland Geothermal, Iceland
• Challenges in developing Katwe - Bunyampaka geothermal area
- Ralph Nyakabwa-Atwoki, Project Consultant, Kenya
• Sustainable development of geothermal
- Philipe Niyangabo, Head of Energy Division, Dept. of Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
Also confirmed to address the conference are Uganda’s Energy Minister, the Honourable Engineer Irene Muloni and CEOs from utilities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
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