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United Nations climate talks ended last week in South Africa and the United States and China played chicken on who would take the lead in stewarding the environment well while also driving economic development.[1][2] Quietly, Kenya has signed major deals just this year that will see the opening of at least three plants that will grow Kenya’s geothermal capacity to 514 megawatts (MW) by 2014. By 2030, Kenya aims for geothermal energy to make up 5000 MW of the total 15,000 MW of power the country will produce to meet growing demand – an estimated $16 billion investment.[3] Imagine that, an African country driving the uptake of clean and renewable energy.
Experts estimate that Kenya has the potential to generate 7,000 MW to 10,000 MW. The country began developing geothermal in the 1980s and currently produces about 209 MW. In 2008, the country set its geothermal power goal in the Vision 2030 strategic plan.[4] Since that time Kenya has aggressively grown geothermal with the 36 MW expansion of the 48 MW Olkaria III, the construction of the 280 MW Olkaria IV, and the drilling of the 1,600 MW Menengai field.
Contrary to what the Wall Street Journal reported on December 6, Kenya is not the only African country developing geothermal energy.[5] Kenya lies within the East African Rift System that runs 6,500km from Tunisia to Mozambique. In a recent conversation with Dr. Meseret Zemedkun of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), she explained that some countries in the East African region are looking to complement their current hydropower capacity, while others like Eritrea and Djibouti are looking for primary renewable energy sources.[6] Ethiopia has drilled a pilot 7 MW plant. Eritrea is conducting detailed exploration. Djibouti is drilling wells, and Uganda and Rwanda are conducting semi-detailed and detailed exploration.
According to Dr. Zemedkun, “[African] countries are very keen to develop their resources.” She cited the high availability rate of geothermal compared to hydropower – 90-95 percent versus 50-55 percent. Changes in weather impact the availability of hydropower whereas geothermal energy is not impacted by changes in weather. Furthermore, enhanced technology is reducing the unit price of geothermal energy, increasing its accessibility to African countries.
Dr. Zemedkun is currently driving the African Rift Geothermal Project, an initiative that brings together several African countries in working to build their geothermal capacity.[7] It also helps reduce the risks of exploration through exploration studies, site selection, and surface exploration. UNEP partners with the World Bank in this work, leveraging its risk mitigation fund to further the exploration of geothermal energy.
I am excited about the work Kenya is doing to develop its geothermal energy capacity. Its leadership has also kickstarted the exploration of geothermal energy in other countries along the East African Rift System. Hopefully, the US and China will figure out a way to do their part and contribute to the preservation of this earth while meeting the economic needs of their citizens.Source: Afribiz
A wind farm. A financing deal for Kenya’s largest wind power farm will be concluded in the first quarter of next year, its sponsors said, setting East Africa’s largest economy on the path to becoming the region’s leader in renewable energy.
Source: Business Daily Africa.com
Dar es Salaam. Gold mining companies operating in Tanzania are expected to nearly treble their power consumption in the next couple of years as more mines get connected to the national power grid, Tanzania's Chamber of Minerals and Energy has reported.
Ami Mpungwe TCME president was quaoted by the StockMarketWire.com as sayinh power consumption in the mining sector is expected to increase to 146 megawatts from the current 50 MW, when all the mines are connected to the national grid.(AFP)
"There is a need to improve infrastructure to sustain growth in this (mining) sector. Currently, most mine houses are generating their own power at a substantial cost, which erodes competitiveness," he said.
According to Mpungwe, because of the substantial costs involved in running operations in the energy crisis-stricken nation, Tanzania is unable to benefit from the current boom in international gold prices.
The state power utility, Tanzania Electricity Supply Corp., is the process of extending transmission lines to mines in remote areas around Lake Victoria in an effort to connect them to the national grid. (Agencies)
Source: The Citizen
December 18, 2011 - Kenya has inched closer to finalizing a deal with Ethiopia over tapping electricity from Addis Ababa. Officials from both countries are close to finalizing an electricity purchase agreement, where Kenya will buy 400 MW of electricity from Ethiopia from 2016, which will cost Nairobi 0.0084 U.S. cents per kwh. The agreement was finalized in Nairobi where an Ethiopian delegation met with officials from Kenya.
Kenyan Energy Permanent Secretary Patrick Nyoike declared that the country has agreed to purchase 400 MW at the price of 75 cents. Earlier, the two sides had declared that they would hold public signing ceremony to celebrate the agreement, which has been expected ever since the construction of GibeI II and III series of hydropower plants started by Ethiopia.
Egypt has been opposing the construction of the hydropower plants by Ethiopia, alleging that the use of Nile waters will impact the water flow and volumes to Egypt. Even environmentalists are not in favor of the ambitious hydropower project for its alleged impact on the hundreds of thousands of pastoralists in Kenya, who are dependent on Lake Turkana.
Both sides declared in a statement that they are bound by “political will and full commitment” to go ahead with the agreement. The talks between the two are on the final stages of conclusion.
Eddy Njoroge, managing director, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, welcoming the deal, said that the transmission line is expected to be ready by 2016 and that the project has brightened hopes of mitigating power outages caused due to inclement weather. He further said that all funding agencies are keen to go ahead with the project and that the import of electricity will meet the rising demands in the country, which is expected to cross 17,000 MW by 2030.
Kenya Electricity Generating company (KENGEN) sells the 763 MW of electricity that it generates to Kenya Power and Lighting Company, which is the state distribution agency. KENGEN has received a warning from Kenya’s water authority that it would auction its assets unless it pays off the unpaid water usage fees, which it uses to generate electricity.
Under the electricity purchase deal, national power grids from both countries would be interconnected so that Kenya can tap electricity from the line by 2016. Hydropower contributes 62 percent of electricity to Kenya; however, due to the recent drought in September, there was a sharp drop in hydropower generation to 41 per cent in the country.
In east Africa, Ethiopia alone boasts of more than adequate supply of electricity, which is complemented by its reserve margin of 30 percent.
Source: Ezega.com
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