Geothermal energy development and potential, biodiversity conservation and tourism development : examples from Kenya

Abstract

Geothermal energy development in Kenya is associated with the African Rift Valley which intersects Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania Zambia, Malawi and northern Mozambique. There is a western segment that passes through Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. All these countries have some geothermal potential. It is only in Kenya and Ethiopia that exploitation of geothermal energy for power generation has been attempted. Electricity generation from geothermal in Kenya started in 1981 with construction of Olkaria I station. The current output in Kenya is 209 MW which is about 16% of the country’s effective capacity. There is a plan to increase the generation by an additional 5000 MW by 2030. The current geothermal capacity is located in Olkaria Geothermal field mainly within Hell’s Gate National Park which is a nature/wildlife conservation area. Kenya has over the years gained experience in managing the environmental issues associated with geothermal development in nature conservation areas. This has proved that geothermal development can coexist with wildlife with maximum benefit from both resources. Kenya would like to replicate this success in other geothermal sites some of which are located in either National parks or Game Reserves