WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The World Bank is helping to increase access to electricity in Kenya under a new Country Partnership Strategy with the Kenyan government that focuses on exploiting geothermal power, The World Bank said in a statement.
“Under its new County Partnership Strategy for Kenya, the World Bank Group is supporting the government to generate more geothermal power to increase electricity access to all consumers and enhance opportunities for growth and shared prosperity,” the statement, issued on Monday, said.
The contribution of geothermal energy to Kenya’s national energy mix reached 51 percent last week, after the two Olkaria 1 and Olkaria 4 plants were opened up, according to the statement.
The cost of power to Kenyan industrialists and domestic consumers has dropped considerably as a result, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (Kengen) Chief Executive Albert Mugo said.
The significant increase in using geothermal energy is in stark contrast to four years ago, when geothermal energy accounted for 13 percent of the power mix, according to The World Bank statement.
Kenya’s overall plan, the statement said, is to increase geothermal capacity by an additional 460 megawatts by 2018, and reduce hydropower volume in its mix to 28 percent by that same year.
This plan will reduce Kenyan electricity consumer’s exposure to drought that reduces power supply from the hydro power stations forcing the country to rely on diesel generated power.
The continued investments in the Olkaria geothermal plants are the way the Kenyan government plan on accomplishing this goal, the statement said.
The World Bank is a United Nations international financial institution supplying loans to developing nations for capital programs.
