The Olkaria II Geothermal Power Station also known as Olkaria II Geothermal Power Plant is a geothermal power plant in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, with installed electric generating capacity of

Location

The facility is located in the

Olkaria The Olkaria Area is a region located immediately to the south of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa. It is geothermally active and is being used to generate clean electric power. The region has an estimated potential of 2,000 ...

area, adjacent to

Hell's Gate National Park Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, north west of Nairobi. Hell's Gate National Park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift Valley. It wa ...

, on the eastern edge of the

Eastern Rift Valley The Gregory Rift is the eastern branch of the East African Rift fracture system. The rift is being caused by the separation of the Somali plate from the Nubian plate, driven by a thermal plume. Although the term is sometimes used in the narrow s ...

, approximately , southeast of the city of

Nakuru Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest ...

, where the county headquarters re located. Olkaria lies approximately , by road, northwest of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. The coordinates of Olkaria are:0°51'49.0"S, 36°18'00.0"E (Latitude:-0.8636; Longitude:36.3000).

History

Olkaria II went on-stream in 2003 when

Kenya Electricity Generating Company Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC abbreviated to KenGen, is a government enterprise in the Republic of Kenya charged with the production of electricity for the country. KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating ...

(KenGen) commissioned two 35 MW units manufactured and installed by

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...

(MHI). In 2010, a third unit of 35 MW capacity was installed, at a cost of approximately US$100 million, bringing the total capacity to 105 Megawatts. The expansion was financed by (a) the European Investment Bank, which lent US$40.8 million (KSh303 billion), the International Development Association, which lent US$27.6 million (KSh2.2 billion), the

French Development Agency The French Development Agency (french: Agence française de développement, AFD) is a public financial institution that implements the policy defined by the French Government. It works to fight poverty and promote sustainable development. This pub ...

, which lent US$20 million (KSh1.6 billion) and KenGen, which contributed the balance. The Olkaria II power plant is one of six geothermal stations either planned or already operational in the Olkaria area in Nakuru County.

Ownership

Olkaria II Power Station is owned by KenGen, a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...

, whose stock is traded on the

Nairobi Stock Exchange The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) was established in 1954 as the Nairobi Stock Exchange, based in Nairobi the capital of Kenya. It was a voluntary association of stockbrokers in the European community registered under the Societies Act in ...

, and in which the government of Kenya maintains 70 percent shareholding, the remaining 30 percent being held by private individual and institutional investors.

References

{{reflist

External links

Website of Kenya Electricity Generating Company
2010 establishments in Kenya Energy infrastructure completed in 2010 Geothermal power stations in Kenya

Location

History

Ownership

See also

References

External links