Kiir was in the country for a two-day state visit. Photo/COURTESY.
NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 3 – South Sudan President Salva Kiir, on Tuesday visited Kenya Electricity Generating Company’s (KenGen) PLC’s geothermal power complex in Olkaria, boosting the firm’s quest to expand its footprint in the region.
South Sudan is developing inclusive and sustainable green energy sector in a bid to increase electrification of rural areas and also boost sources of clean energy.
Speaking at the function, KenGen’s Managing Director & CEO, Rebecca Miano emphasised the importance of clean energy, given its contribution to curbing climate change.
KenGen’s strategic focus is geared towards geothermal energy production, an area the company has heavily invested in. “Our diverse expertise in energy production has become a point of reference, providing insights to various countries in Africa such as Ethiopia, Comoros, Rwanda and Djibouti,” the MD added.
Miano said KenGen was ready and willing to share its expertise and experience in geothermal power development with South Sudan.
Besides electricity generation and commercial drilling services, KenGen also sells steam, provides geothermal consulting, heating and other related services. In addition, the company is also exploring expansion opportunities beyond Kenya and will in the near future extend to oil and mining sectors in the region.
For his part, KenGen Board Chairman, Joshua Choge, said the organization was grateful for the opportunities from various countries as they considered them an endorsement on KenGen’s expertise in geothermal energy development. “As an institution, our role in capacity building is recognised internationally. Through the World Bank, we have been able to obtain a commitment for funding to strengthen our Geothermal Centre of Excellence,” Choge continued.
Kenya is Africa’s number one geothermal energy producer and is among the top 10 in the world. The country has a geothermal installed capacity of 685 MW with an estimated potential of 10,000MW along the Rift Valley.
Currently this potential is being harnessed in Olkaria, Menengai and Eburru fields. Kenya’s geothermal power capacity is expected to increase with the expected completion of KenGen’s 165MW Olkaria five in the coming days. The development of Olkaria 1 AU Unit 6 is also under way.
