Contract signing with ODDEG, Galla Le Koma, Djibouti, with Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Charles Keter, and KenGen Managing Director & CEO, Mrs. Rebecca Miano (source: KenGen) Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has won a drilling contract for drilling of three wells for a geothermal project by Djibouti’s geothermal development company.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) PLC has won yet another international contract to drill three geothermal wells in Djibouti, as reported by the company today.
The company signed a Ksh 709,822, 630 ($6.5 million) contract with Office Djiboutien De Development De lenergie Geothermique (Djiboutian Office of Geothermal Energy Development) (ODDEG).
The ceremony, in Galla Le Koma, Djibouti, was attended by Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Charles Keter, and KenGen Managing Director & CEO, Mrs. Rebecca Miano.
Speaking during the event, Hon. Keter pointed out that African nations shared the common aspiration of delivering electricity to their people, which, he said, provided an opportunity to work together to meet the continent’s energy needs. “The biggest challenge has remained access (to electricity) in remote areas, and in Sub-Saharan Africa with 573 million people not having access to this important commodity. Although energy access policies have continued to bear fruit, with 2019 data showing tremendous progress, we have seen the Coronavirus pandemic reverse the gains. We can only remain optimistic that things will change in 2021,” the CS said.
While highlighting Kenya’s progress in achieving universal electricity access, he indicated that the country’s National Electrification Strategy (KNES) launched in 2018 had played an important role in helping the nation achieve electrification in an economically viable manner.
In 2019, Kenya’s power installed capacity was 2,818.9 MW. Currently, the country’s energy mix comprises geothermal (29%), hydro (29%), wind (12%), solar and others (2%) and thermal (28%).
The CS said the country had made remarkable progress in increasing access to electric power as a result of deliberate government efforts and private sector investment.
Kenya’s journey towards harnessing geothermal energy, he added, started in the 1950s and assured Djibouti of support in enabling it to realise its geothermal potential. “To date, we have drilled more than 300 wells within the Olkaria field, which is the bedrock of Kenya’s geothermal energy production. As a country, we have a geothermal energy potential of 10,000MW along the Rift Valley with the resource being harnessed in 23 sites,” he said.
For her part, Mrs. Miano expressed optimism that the three wells will be productive and enhance Djibouti’s efforts […]
