This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
On July 30, 2019, Kenya made a significant leap in its global ranking among the world's largest geothermal powerhouses, surpassing Iceland to position eight.
The milestone was achieved after the completion of load tests for the first unit of the Olkaria V project, which attained its full design output of 82.7 megawatts.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) Managing Director Rebecca Miano announced the completion of the project, stating that the unit had been synchronised to the national grid on June 28 and had been undergoing commissioning tests.
"We are delighted to announce the completion of the first unit of Olkaria V geothermal power plant and subsequently injecting 79 megawatts to the national grid," said Ms Miano. "This brings to 612 megawatts the total amount of installed geothermal power capacity by KenGen and will be significant in ensuring that our country's power needs are met through the continuous use of green energy solutions," she added.
