Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), a parastatal company and the largest electric power producer in Kenya is set to begin drilling works on at the Galla Le Koma geothermal site located in Lake Assal region, central Djibouti.
The firm revealed the report and said preparations are 80% complete and works will begin next month. This comes approximately three months since the Nairobi, Kenya-based Company signed US $ 6.5m contracts with Office Djiboutien de developpement de lโenergie geothermique (ODDEG), also known as the Djiboutian office of geothermal energy development), to carry out the project.
The project will see KenGen drill a total of three geothermal wells that will produce an overall power of 15 MWe in this particular field. The wells are a part of a pilot project with which the authorities of this East African country aim to test the geothermal potential of the Lake Assal region.
Geothermal program
Upon completion of the pilot project, the Djibouti government plans to entrust the development of the geothermal program in the Lake Assal region to Independent Power Producers (IPP). The development of this program is supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through a US$ 24.73M loan.
The project is subsidized by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) together with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (Fades). Apart from Lake Assal, Lake Abbe is another promising region as far as geothermal development is concerned. According to ODDEG, the two geothermal sites have a combined potential of 5,000 MWe, the exploitation of which would propel the East African country to the forefront of renewable energy-producing countries in the continent.
