Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is planing the construction of a new 120MW Power Plant in Kipevu, close to Mombasa. The new plant is estimated to cost US$ 15 Million, and shall be operational by the end of 2010.
The plant which is expected to generate 120 megawatts of electricity that shall be added into the national grid to improve the current electricity supply. Due to shrinking water levels at Masinga and other dams, power generation is expected to drop and consumers have been warned to brace themselves for higher power tariffs and increased power-cuts. Most of Kenya’s electricity supply is generated by hydroelectric dams but drought has depleted water levels and forced the company to shut down one station.
The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). So, geothermal energy is heat from within the earth. Geothermal energy is eco-friendly and a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth. Several factors make Geothermal power plants and ideal source for energy production:
- It’s clean. Energy is generated without burning any fossil fuels such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about 1/6 of the carbon dioxide than a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant does, and release as good as no emissions.
- Geothermal energy is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Geothermal power plants have uptime capabilities of 90% or more, compared to only around 75% for coal plants.
- Geothermal power is homegrown, reducing dependence on foreign oil and expensive energy imports from other countries.
This new 120MW plant will be funded by the proposed Public Infrastructure Bond Ofer (PIBO), Business Development and Strategy Director Albert Mugo, taking 21 bidders of the project on a tour of the site for the proposed plant to be known as Kipevu III last week.
The contract will be awarded to the successful bidder this October.
Kenya wants to ramp up production of environmentally-friendly energy by adding another 2000 MW of electricity mainly from geothermal, wind and clean coal sources. Kenya wants to ramp up production of environmentally-friendly energy by adding 2,000 MW of electricity from coal, geothermal, wind and clean coal sources.
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there are no Geothermal resources in the Kenyan Coast. you seem to be referring to two different projects here.