Kenya seeking £3bn for geothermal energy investment

2 November 2009

Kenya's energy minister Kiraitu Murungi said this week the country needed $4.9 billion (£3 billion) in geothermal investment to fully exploit the potential of this resource.

He relayed study findings revealing that if properly harnessed, this power source could offer up as much as 7,000 MW as opposed to the 1,200 MW that is currently accessible.

The bulk of the funds would go into generating an additional 2,000 MW, as well as improving transmission services and rural electrification.

Remaining finances - of which the government is to provide 46 per cent - would go to resources assessment, Mr Murungi explained.

"Our strategy for having reliable power and security of supply in this country lies in the exploitation of geothermal power," he added.

In related news, the Daily Nation has reported on a blackout that plunged Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and other cities into darkness yesterday (November 1st).

The incident was blamed on technical shortcomings at the Aggreko power station and at the time of writing it was unknown whether the problems were related to transmission systems or generation.

Category: Energy