- KenGen has been awarded the contract for the drilling of three geothermal wells in Djibouti.
- KenGen has a geothermal installed capacity of 706MW.
- This is the third contract that KenGen has been awarded on the continent.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has been awarded the contract for drilling three geothermal wells in Djibouti. The company signed a $6 million contract with the Djiboutian Office of Geothermal Energy Development(Office Djiboutien De Development De l’energie Geothermique).
Kenya is a global leader in geothermal energy production as it makes up 29 per cent of the total capacity of 2,818.9MW geothermal. KenGen has a geothermal installed capacity of 706MW and is the leading geothermal power producer on the continent.
Read also: African Union Awards $14.5m Grant for Geothermal Energy in Kenya
According to Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter, the country has drilled more than 300 wells within the Olkaria field, the bedrock of Kenya’s geothermal energy production. He also noted a geothermal energy potential of 10,000MW along the Rift Valley, with the resource being harnessed in 23 sites.
KenGen Managing Director & CEO Rebecca Miano stated at the contract signing that the expectation is that the three wells will be productive and enhance Djibouti’s efforts towards growing its energy production. This is the third contract that KenGen has been awarded on the continent. In October 2019, the company was awarded a $52,9 million (Ksh 5.8 billion) contract to drill 12 geothermal wells in Ethiopia.
In February 2019, KenGen won a $76 million contract for consultancy services and drilling geothermal wells. KenGen also partnered with Ethiopia and Rwanda in geothermal energy development.