21 February 2015, Nairobi — TOSHIBA, the Japanese firm, announced that the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant, Kenya’s largest geothermal power complex, has started commercial operation.
The official opening ceremony has been held on site in the presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta and government officials.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company Ltd. awarded a full turnkey contract for Olkaria I and IV to a consortium of Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd. and Japan’s Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Tokyo: 8015) in 2011.
Toshiba, selected by Hyundai Engineering to provide key equipment, supplied four 70-megawatt turbines and generators for the plant in 2013. Olkaria IV started commercial operation in September 2014, followed by Olkaria I in January this year.
Accordint to Toshiba, Kenya’s economic growth is spurring demand for power with the government responding with a comprehensive blueprint for development, Vision 2030, which currently includes provision for boosting Kenya’s electricity generating capacity from 1 664 megawatts (2014) to 17 500 megawatts by 2030.
Construction of the Olkaria complex is a key part of the vision, and it now accounts for approaching 20 percent of Kenya’s total generating capacity.
Toshiba is the world leader in geothermal power, accounting for 24 percent of total installed capacity and offers a geothermal product line-up that extends from 1 to over 100 megawatts output capacities.
*Maria Marachia – Cajnews
