KenGen spreads its geothermal expertise to Bhutan, Asia

Engineers from Kengen work on one of the largest well in Olkaria which is 3km deep and has the capacity of producing 30m. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

KenGen's expertise in geothermal exploration has continued to draw more admiration, with the Bhutan Kingdom in South Asia joining a list of countries seeking to tap into the knowledge and power.

According to the energy-generating company, they were working with the country to explore and harness geothermal power in the landlocked country that borders China and India.

This brings to six the number of countries that Kengen is currently supporting in harnessing geothermal power.

The move is in line with commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement (2015), which seeks to enable countries to reduce their carbon emissions footprints, limit global temperatures, and reverse climate-induced calamities.

According to Kengen CEO Eng. Peter Njenga, they were working with the Kingdom of Bhutan to explore the possibility of geothermal in the region.

“Kenya is among the leading producers of geothermal power, and with our expertise, we are working with other countries, including Bhutan Kingdom to tap this clean energy,” he said.

Speaking in Olkaria, Naivasha, he said that the company had been awarded exploration rights in Zambia and Tanzania while drilling was ongoing in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eswatini.

He said KenGen would deploy its technological support and decades-old expertise to assist the six countries' transition to clean energy sources.

“We successfully supported Ethiopia and Djibouti, and our next stop is Bhutan and E-swatini which has high potential for geothermal energy,” he said.

Njenga added that to meet the rising electricity demand, the company was keen to double its geothermal power generation from the current 800MW to 1500MW by 2034.

He said that the initiative, though expensive, aimed at meeting the growing power demands for households and industries across the country.

Njenga said the 10-year plan required billions of shillings, noting that the company was engaging development and financing institutions for funding as well as tapping into the pension fund kitty.

“We have entered the carbon credit market, which we shall use to marshal more funding and help decarbonize the environment,” he said.

He lauded the support of institutions such as the World Bank, European Development Bank, and German KFW for the injection of billions of shillings towards establishing more geothermal power.

On his part, geothermal development manager Peketsa Mangi said that the company had started rehabilitation of old power plants and well heads, including the Olkaria 1 plant.

“The rehabilitation of the Olkaria 1 power plant is nearly complete with projections that it will pump into the national grid an extra 63mws by June this year,” he said.