Kenya isn’t exactly known for its abundant hot springs — but the East African nation has ambitious plans to expand its geothermal energy sources for environmentally friendly electricity.
The Great Rift Valley — a geological formation that stretches 6,000 kilometers (3,729 miles) from Eritrea to Mozambique — offers ample opportunities: Not only is this region rich in geothermal activity below the earth’s surface, the earth’s crust is also highly thin here, making exploration relatively easy.
The Olkaria Geothermal Power Station is a perfect example: the facility covers approximately 200 square kilometers in area. and since it first started operating in 1981, the plant has been expanded several times to tap into this clean source of energy for Kenyans.
Today, Olkaria can produce close to 900 megawatts — but that’s nothing compared to the government’s latest plans to generate close to 5,000 megawatts by the end of the decade.
And even that number represents only about half of Kenya’s full geothermal potential.
A green future for Kenya — and beyond
Expanding the use of geothermal energy plays a critical role Kenya’s goal to produce exclusively environmentally friendly electricity by 2030.
Geothermal energy it is widely seen as a silver bullet for the long-term transformation of production that will help us meet our energy needs without fossil fuels. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) puts the so-called capacity factor for geothermal energy at over 80%. This refers to measuring the value of how reliably a power source can provide sustainable electricity over time.
In comparison, IRENA estimates less than 20% for solar power.
“The countries with the greatest potential in this area are clearly Kenya and Ethiopia,” says volcanologist Jacques Varet, who has consulted on geothermal issues in East Africa for decades.
Unlike Ethiopia, “Kenya has been investing in geothermal energy for a long time,” he told DW.
Ethiopia also hopes to expand its use of geothermal facilities in the future with some help from Kenya — Africa’s leader in geothermal energy investment.
Ethiopia has a small geothermal power facility, which has been operating since 1998.
Simple – but expensive
The physics behind the operation of geothermal plants is quite simple: geothermal steam, which is a mixture of water and minerals, is shot from an artificial borehole in the ground and diverted into a machine, which acts like a turbine.
This turbine – almost bigger than a car – is connected to a generator, which then produces electricity.
The process involves almost no carbon emissions, which is why geothermal energy is considered a green energy source.
Research teams at Olkaria are testing several new wells to expand the power station.
Anna Mwangi, a geologist working for government utility KenGen, explains the importance of fully testing the capacities of these wells before making any further commitments:
“Sometimes we’re lucky and we’ll complete a boring project for only about $4 million (3.7 million euros). But if we deal with underground issues, the exploration bill can reach seven or eight million dollars,” he said. told DW .
There are currently 322 exploratory wells in Olkaria, each costing KenGen approximately $6 million to drill.
Added to the cost are the high health and safety requirements because the pressurized water found in these wells can reach temperatures of up to several hundred degrees Celsius.
Digging deeper — mostly in pockets
Specialized drilling equipment that is otherwise only used to explore for fossil fuel resources represents the largest production cost in exploration.
“The key issues in geothermal exploration are: Does a government or a private company have the necessary capital to afford such a rig? That’s the only way to really assess the full potential of a geothermal area. You just have to drilling.” says Antony Karembu, a senior energy economist working for the African Development Bank Group, AfDB.
The cost of renting the machines has actually come down in recent years as the rate of exploration for oil and other fossil fuels has plummeted amid an increase in the use of green energy.
These high costs are combined with unknown risks, such as low performance or changes in geothermal activity due to tectonic shifts, which means that new entrants to the geothermal game are often reluctant to invest their capital.
Geothermal intentions
The Kenyan government established the state-owned Geothermal Development Corporation in 2008, which Karembu says serves as a kind of insurance policy, with the government covering all financial risks associated with exploration activities.
Enthusiasm for geothermal energy has grown since then, with development partners such as the AfDB.
The African Union has even introduced a special fund to cover the financial risks involved in geothermal exploration with non-governmental and private investors. One of the contributors to this fund is the German development bank, KfW.
“They (the AU) give grants to private companies to commit to exploratory drilling,” explains Karembu.
The “big crack” in the geothermal game
It has become easier for East African countries to explore geothermal energy technologies: Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda have all announced plans to start research projects.
However, Varet stresses that Kenya still lead the group by a wide margin.
“Kenyan scientists have set really high standards over time with engineers, volcanologists and the like. There just aren’t that many of those professionals in places like neighboring Ethiopia, despite the fact that the potential (of geothermal energy) there are huge,” Varet said.
Ethiopia is hoping to start catching up, Karembu says: “A private exploration project called Tulu Moye has commissioned KenGen to conduct heavy drilling in Ethiopia.”
From Kenya to the world
However, Kenya retains the best accumulated know-how in Africa’s geothermal industry, an asset it can sell not only to Ethiopia but to use across the region, Karembu says. He used to work for KenGen:
“KenGen were able to build really great internal expertise, which they then did as consultants to us in places like Comoros or Djibouti.”
Expanding to other parts of Africa, Kenyan experts are also bringing new ideas home.