In recent years, Kenya's economic growth rate has ranked among the top among African countries, and the demand for electricity has also significantly increased. However, the shortage of electricity supply and high electricity prices have become one of the main bottlenecks restricting its economic development.

To fill the power gap and control power generation costs, the Kenyan government plans to accelerate the construction of geothermal power generation facilities. In this context, Chinese enterprises have actively responded to the the Belt and Road Initiative and helped Kenya accelerate its energy transformation by virtue of their own technology and cost advantages.

Geothermal power stations in natural scenic areas

In Kenya in eastern Africa, the Great Rift Valley runs north-south. Thanks to this world-renowned rift zone, Kenya has abundant geothermal resources, with an estimated power generation potential of over 10000 megawatts. However, currently, the country's installed capacity for geothermal power generation is only 950 megawatts.

The Menenjay crater is located at the bottom of the Great Rift Valley and is a highly cost-effective geothermal development site. At the same time, here is lush with vegetation and beautiful scenery, attracting a large number of tourists from around the world every year.

In 2011, the Kenya Geothermal Development Company discovered a geothermal power generation potential of approximately 1600 megawatts in the Menangai region. But due to various reasons, the development plan has been put on hold.

In 2021, Kenya will resume geothermal development in Menangai, with a planned installed power generation capacity of 105 megawatts for the first phase. Kaishan Group from Zhejiang, China has been awarded the general contract for the first 35 megawatt geothermal power plant, the Suoxian geothermal power plant. The project started construction in January 2021 and will be put into operation for power transmission by the end of June 2023.

The geothermal power station, which has been built and put into operation, integrates with the mountains, and the water pipes meander through the forest. From time to time, meerkats, mountain reeds, and black faced long tailed monkeys pass by.

Deng Chao, Senior Engineer of China Power Construction Fujian Engineering Co., Ltd., the project contractor, said, "Due to the location of this geothermal power station in a natural scenic area, the environmental impact assessment of the project is very strict. In addition, with the clean energy properties of geothermal energy, the construction and operation of this geothermal power station can be considered as a green and pollution-free whole process

100% Chinese technology

Suoxian Geothermal Power Station is the first geothermal power station in Africa to be independently completed by a Chinese enterprise from design, product production, construction, and commissioning. The "100% Chinese technology" has attracted attention from all parties to this geothermal power station.

Li Haitao, the project leader of Kaishan Group in Kenya, introduced that compared to equipment from other countries, Kaishan Group's power generation equipment has a shorter necessary time for annual shutdown and maintenance. The total annual power generation time has exceeded 8000 hours, reaching a world leading level. Therefore, for the first time, the African geothermal power generation market has accepted a complete set of power generation equipment developed and produced by China.

The construction efficiency and cost advantages of Chinese enterprises are also the focus of Kenya's attention. The equipment cost of Chinese enterprises is about 20% lower than that of enterprises in other countries, and we have the advantage of short construction cycles. To build a 35 megawatt geothermal power station of the same scale, China Power Construction only takes 16 months, "Deng Chao said.

China Kenya Cooperation Helps Accelerate Energy Transformation

For a long time, most of Kenya's electricity has come from geothermal and hydroelectric sources. At the beginning of this year, Daniel Kiptou, Director of the Kenya Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, stated that 86.98% of the country's energy supply comes from renewable energy. The latest data shows that geothermal and hydroelectric power generation in Kenya account for 39.15% and 26.47% of its total power generation, respectively.

However, in recent years, Kenya has experienced sustained drought and a significant decrease in hydropower generation. In this context, stable geothermal power generation has become the preferred choice for Kenya's energy transformation.

According to Kenya's 2030 vision, the country will achieve 100% clean energy power generation by 2030, with geothermal power generating an installed capacity of 1600 megawatts, accounting for 60% of the country's electricity generation.

Mossy Kachumo, a project engineer at Kenya Geothermal Development Company, believes that the Soxian geothermal power plant is of great demonstration significance. Kachumo stated that the quality of Chinese equipment and construction has remained stable during the operational phase, and Chinese enterprises will be able to obtain more orders in the future. Kenya's geothermal power generation sector will also apply more Chinese engineering technology and financial models, thereby accelerating the energy transformation.Editor/Ma Xue