Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS), together with Mitsubishi Corporation and H. Young & Company Ltd., announced to have received a full-turnkey order to supply geothermal power accessories to Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen).
According to a joint press release, the order to supply the geothermal power accessories is inclusive of two sets of 70MW class steam turbines, generators and auxiliaries for installation at the Olkaria V Geothermal power plant in Nakuru district.
The Olkaria V Geothermal power plant, planned to go on-stream in 2019, is situated roughly 100km northwest of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, at a height of some 2,000 metres in the Great Rift Valley.
This new project will expand present power plant facilities in the Olkaria geothermal field with the objective of improving severely stretched power supplies in Kenya’s urban regions while mounting power supply from renewable energy to decrease carbon emissions, the press release affirmed.
The project is being carried out with an official development assistance loan arrangement, extended to KenGen by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
MHPS will be accountable for the design of the geothermal facilities and will provide the steam turbines, generators, condensers, and other key auxiliaries.
Applying its widespread expertise as an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor, the company will also send out technical advisors to the site to help H. Young with know-how in installation and commissioning.
According to the release, the company has already supplied six sets of power generating equipment for the Olkaria I and II geothermal power plants with 150MW total output.
Kenya is reported to rank at ninth position globally in terms of geothermal power generation capacity.
In current years, demand for electric power has been growing in step with the nation’s stable economic growth. In response to this demand, KenGen is concentrating on constructing new geothermal plants and increasing the productivity of existing facilities.
