79MW of Power added to the National Grid as KenGen completes Olkaria V Power Unit 1

KenGen announced that it had added an additional 79 MW of power to the national grid successfully after its completion of Unit 1 of the Olkaria V Geothermal Power Plant. The Unit was first synchronized to the grid on the 28th of June 2019 and thereafter was subjected to commissioning tests. It was then taken through a series of load tests until it attained its full design output of 82.7MW. KenGen Managing Director & CEO, Mrs. Rebecca Miano, said the additional capacity would play a key role in supporting Kenya’s energy needs while still increasing the amount of green energy in the national grid. In her statement, the CEO said as follows: “We are delighted to announce the completion of the first unit of Olkaria V Geothermal Power Plant and subsequently injecting 79 MW to the national grid. This brings to 612MW 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 said. She also added: “Consistent with our long-term plan, we are continuously working on increasing our renewable energy to provide affordable energy to Kenyans while safeguarding the environment. This, in turn, will lead to the provision of stable energy to power households and industries across the country.” Olkaria V Geothermal Power Plant is expected to inject a total of 158 MW to the national grid once Unit 2 is synchronized to the grid by the end of August.  This will further enhance KenGen’s position as the leading electricity generating company in East Africa. The injected energy will greatly support the country’s Big Four Agenda and the Vision 2030 development blueprint. The development of Olkaria 1 additional Unit 6 is also currently under way. Over the years, pursuant to the least cost power development plan (LCPDP) KenGen  has developed a rich energy mix comprising of hydro (819.9MW), geothermal (612 MW), thermal (253.5MW) and wind (25.5MW). About 80 percent of Kenya’s installed capacity is from renewable sources; This is three times more than the global average.