The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is a 100% state-owned company, formed by the Government of Kenya as a Special Purpose Vehicle to fast track the development of geothermal resources.
The government has identified the country`s untapped geothermal potential as the most suitable indigenous source of electricity. GDC will drill 1400 steam wells to provide steam for the generation of 4,000MW to 5,000MW of geothermal power by 2030.
Currently, GDC is in the process of drilling 40 additional geothermal wells to provide steam to KenGen for a 280MW geothermal power plant.
Increasing demand for electricity across the East African region has put pressure on existing hydro resources. Recent long term drought and the resulting unavailability of electrical resources has meant an ever increasing search for alternative sources of reliable, sustainable electricity. Geothermal power is increasingly being promoted by governments and multilateral agencies as a resource which could and should be exploited for energy production.
High geothermal resource reliability, sustainability and operational efficiency make it easy to understand why more and more countries are exploiting geothermal resources if they have them. Despite heavy start up costs for geothermal power plants, countries such as Iceland and Japan are investing heavily in the technology and building in overseas territories. Japan has just recently invested some $320 million in Kenyan and more and more technology companies are offering geothermal development packages aimed at developing countries.
Why attend?As both a renewable energy and economically feasible generation option, Geothermal has been highlighted as a must have for East Africa s power sector. The Africa
Geothermal Power Summit 2010 will be the meeting place for government ,investors, utilities, regulators and vendors to take an in-depth look on how to encourage investment in geothermal, planning and up skilling the correct resources and planning a geothermal facility from feasibility through financing to completion.
- Meet with the key stakeholders of the East African region and discuss how to further the development of the geothermal industry of this key region.
- Find out what kind of investment the African Union estimates East African will need for geothermal development
- Get the inside track on choosing the right technology for your specific circumstances
- Understand why geothermal resources need to be carefully managed
