The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) in Kenya has drilled over 20 water wells in the arid Baringo county in search of steam power, and is looking to drill more in their expansive exploration.
George Kinyanjui, GDC general manager in-charge of drilling and infrastructure, said the first phase of the project at Baringo-Silali Block will be seeking to produce steam, which should be able to generate 300MW of electricity to be injected into the national grid.
Mr. Kinyanjui said they have identified Paka, Silale and Korossi as prospect areas with each expected to generate more than 100MW. He further added that, other than drilling wells in these areas, the company is working on making the region accessible through road, with 120km completed.
The power company is planning to pump water from Lake Baringo to Paka, in a bid to open the door for drilling to commence in August, and has already installed community distribution systems and nine storage tanks, each with a capacity of 4.5m litres.
The eco-project will also see carbon credit valued at over US $28.9m being produced with the power generated helping light up Turkana oilfields. GDC projects a generation of well over US $114.6m annually from the project with 15% of the total revenue channeled to benefit the communities surrounding the resource areas.
Geothermal power plant
Meanwhile, the company’s CEO, Johnson Ole Nchoe, recently announced that Quantum Power East Africa is set to start construction works for the Menengai Geothermal Project in September. This is following the African Development Bank’s approval of funds for the project to the tune of US $40m. The said power plant is projected to generate 35MW when fully operational.
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