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<\/a><\/p>\nThe exploration frontier is Baringo\u2013Silali, a string of Quaternary volcanoes\u2014Paka, Korosi and Silali\u2014where GDC has been drilling since the 2010s. July updates from government and local media flagged fresh steam finds at Silali (approximately 22 MW), with officials eyeing first power from the Paka field later this decade, the clearest signal yet that Kenya intends to spread geothermal production beyond the Naivasha basin<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s push comes as two realities converge. Demand is rising, from factory expansions to new household connections and a budding e-mobility and data-center load, while hydropower\u2019s variability under drought conditions and diesel\u2019s volatility on global fuel markets have strengthened the case for geothermal as the country\u2019s baseload anchor. Regulators\u2019 most recent statistics show geothermal as Kenya\u2019s single largest source by both installed capacity and generation share. The country also has the resource depth to back the strategy: while one official narrative mistakenly attributes 10,000 MW to Olkaria alone, peer-reviewed and agency sources place ~10,000 MW as Kenya\u2019s national geothermal potential along the Rift, from Naivasha to Baringo and south toward Suswa<\/p>\n
Read also:\u00a0Global South Coalition presses EU to integrate international carbon removal into climate law<\/a><\/p>\n Kenya\u2019s sprint is part of a wider East African Rift System pivot. Ethiopia is advancing the IPP flagships Tulu Moye (Phase 1: 50 MW, expandable) and Corbetti, with years of drilling logged and financing and PPAs progressing in fits and starts; if these reach steady operation, Ethiopia could emerge as the region\u2019s second geothermal hub after Kenya.<\/p>\n Djibouti continues work at Fiale\/Lac Assal, backed by multilaterals funding exploration and test wells to unlock its first baseload beyond imports. Tanzania has mapped 50+ prospects and is focusing early capital on Ngozi and Kiejo\u2013Mbaka in the Southern Highlands under public developer TGDC, with plans through 2030 and drilling programs supported by the Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF). This build-out rides atop strengthening regional interconnectors: the Ethiopia\u2013Kenya HVDC line (\u00b1500 kV, 2,000 MW) linking Wolaita-Sodo to Suswa is already enabling trade, and Kenya plans to double imports from Ethiopia to 400 MW by 2026, a backstop to balance hydro, wind and geothermal across the Eastern Africa Power Pool.<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0AfDB champions partnerships and green investment at Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9)<\/a><\/p>\n Money and risk remain pivotal. Early geothermal wells are capital-intensive and risky, but Africa has built a de-risking toolkit. The GRMF, run by the African Union Commission with support from KfW and EU funds, offers grants for surface studies and reservoir-confirmation drilling across 15 eligible countries; Kenya\u2019s Baringo\u2013Silali and several Tanzanian and Djiboutian prospects have tapped this window. AfDB, the OPEC Fund, and others have layered concessional capital and guarantees to crowd in IPPs at Menengai, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Training and technical capacity have expanded around a Kenya-hosted Geothermal Centre of Excellence backed by UNEP\/AU partners, quiet but crucial scaffolding for utilities and regulators.<\/p>\n The near-term tests are straightforward. If KenGen lands the +63 MW at Olkaria by September 2026, Kenya will further trim its exposure to costly thermal peakers and help steady bills through dry seasons. Bringing Menengai\u2019s full 105 MW online, with Sosian already running and Orpower 22 advancing, will show whether the GDC-as-steam-supplier\/IPPs-as-generators model scales as intended.<\/p>\n Turning Baringo\u2013Silali from steam to steel, on the heels of new finds at Silali and a development push at Paka, could unlock the first commercial megawatts from Kenya\u2019s northern Rift later in the decade, broadening the map beyond Naivasha. As the Ethiopia\u2013Kenya HVDC settles in alongside a maturing EAPP market, cross-border balancing should give utilities more room to arbitrage wet and dry seasons and dispatch geothermal against variable hydro and wind.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AEW25-Web-Banner-1-2-1-scaled-1.png\")
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