Geothermal Power In Kenya  

Reuters has an article on the planned expansion of geothermal power in Kenya.

Kenya is focusing on developing its geothermal capacity to scale up electricity production and keep up with growing demand, the managing director of the country's biggest producer said on Thursday.

Kenya produces 128 MW of the renewable source but has the potential to put out 7,000 MW, Kenya Electricity Generating Company's (KenGen) Managing Director Eddie Njoroge told Reuters in an interview.

Geothermal power comes from steam made from underground water heated by the Earth's core, which is in turn used to turn turbines. Kenya is in an ideal position to exploit the resource, since the geologically active Great Rift Valley runs through the nation.

"We realise that although geothermal is more expensive upfront, in the long run, it is the cheapest option for this country," Njoroge said. It costs roughly $3.5 million to install a megawatt of geothermal power compared with about $2.5 million for hydropower, he said.