Kenya 227
Risks and uncertainty in Kenya’s energy pathways
Geothermal power development and sustainable charcoal production and trade
both form important energy pathways in Kenya’s quest to become a middleincome country based on a climate- resilient green economy. But implementation and consequences of these pathways are by no means certain: understanding
the risks and uncertainties around these pathways is essential to overcoming
barriers and minimising negative impacts.
Geothermal power development
The technological innovation system life cycle for geothermal encompasses
roughly six phases, taking place over up to a decade (see ESMAP, 2012;
Ng’ang’a, 2005). Geothermal development starts with geo- exploration through
surface studies followed by exploratory drilling, a practice that involves drilling
three to six narrow wells to about 2000–3000 metres. Once the resource is
proven viable, around a dozen production wells are drilled to extract steam, and
a system of pipes is constructed to gather the steam at one location and to then
reinject it back into the steam field reservoir. The gathered steam is most commonly used indirectly in a steam turbine for power generation. It can also be
used directly for a range of heat applications, such as spas, district heating, and
industrial and smaller- scale processes requiring heat. In the case of steam turbine
power generation, power is typically transmitted and distributed through the
national grid to residential, commercial, and industrial end users. In both cases,
steam field management is crucial to ensure the resource is not depleted and
that hazardous chemicals in the steam are properly managed. Decommissioning
of geothermal steam fields and power plants has yet to be experienced in Kenya.
Historical perspective on geothermal
Kenya’s geothermal resource is located within the country’s Rift Valley, with
recent estimates suggesting a resource potential of between 7000 MW and
10,000 MW spread over 14 sites (Ngugi, 2012). Exploration in the Olkaria
steam field in the late 1960s to mid- 1970s by the state- owned Kenya Power
Company Limited and supported by the UNDP led to the drilling of production
wells in the Olkaria I block and commissioning of a 15 MW geothermal power
plant in 1981. Drilling continued, with up to 20 wells added by 1985, and two
additional 15 MW power plants were commissioned in 1982 and 1985 (Omenda
and Simiyu, 2015; Riaroh and Okoth, 1994; Simiyu, 2008).
Reform of the power sector in 1997 led to the unbundling of Kenya Power
Company Limited into two entities: Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)
– later rebranded as Kenya Power – responsible for transmission and distribution,
and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) responsible for generation
(Kapika and Eberhard, 2013; Karekezi and Mutiso, 2000). In its new form,
KenGen remained in control of the Olkaria I block and began drilling in Olkaria
Risks and uncertainty in Kenya’s energy pathways
Geothermal power development and sustainable charcoal production and trade
both form important energy pathways in Kenya’s quest to become a middleincome country based on a climate- resilient green economy. But implementation and consequences of these pathways are by no means certain: understanding
the risks and uncertainties around these pathways is essential to overcoming
barriers and minimising negative impacts.
Geothermal power development
The technological innovation system life cycle for geothermal encompasses
roughly six phases, taking place over up to a decade (see ESMAP, 2012;
Ng’ang’a, 2005). Geothermal development starts with geo- exploration through
surface studies followed by exploratory drilling, a practice that involves drilling
three to six narrow wells to about 2000–3000 metres. Once the resource is
proven viable, around a dozen production wells are drilled to extract steam, and
a system of pipes is constructed to gather the steam at one location and to then
reinject it back into the steam field reservoir. The gathered steam is most commonly used indirectly in a steam turbine for power generation. It can also be
used directly for a range of heat applications, such as spas, district heating, and
industrial and smaller- scale processes requiring heat. In the case of steam turbine
power generation, power is typically transmitted and distributed through the
national grid to residential, commercial, and industrial end users. In both cases,
steam field management is crucial to ensure the resource is not depleted and
that hazardous chemicals in the steam are properly managed. Decommissioning
of geothermal steam fields and power plants has yet to be experienced in Kenya.
Historical perspective on geothermal
Kenya’s geothermal resource is located within the country’s Rift Valley, with
recent estimates suggesting a resource potential of between 7000 MW and
10,000 MW spread over 14 sites (Ngugi, 2012). Exploration in the Olkaria
steam field in the late 1960s to mid- 1970s by the state- owned Kenya Power
Company Limited and supported by the UNDP led to the drilling of production
wells in the Olkaria I block and commissioning of a 15 MW geothermal power
plant in 1981. Drilling continued, with up to 20 wells added by 1985, and two
additional 15 MW power plants were commissioned in 1982 and 1985 (Omenda
and Simiyu, 2015; Riaroh and Okoth, 1994; Simiyu, 2008).
Reform of the power sector in 1997 led to the unbundling of Kenya Power
Company Limited into two entities: Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)
– later rebranded as Kenya Power – responsible for transmission and distribution,
and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) responsible for generation
(Kapika and Eberhard, 2013; Karekezi and Mutiso, 2000). In its new form,
KenGen remained in control of the Olkaria I block and began drilling in Olkaria