The Menengai III Geothermal Power Station is a 35 MW (47,000 hp) geothermal power plant under construction in Kenya.[2]

Menengai III Geothermal Power Station
Location of Menengai III Geothermal Power Station
Country	Kenya
Location	Menengai, Nakuru County, Kenya
Coordinates	00°11′43″S 36°04′54″E
Status	Under construction
Commission date	2017 (Expected)[1]
Owner(s)	Sosian Energy Limited
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	35 MW (47,000 hp)
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Location

The power plant is located in the Menengai Crater, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi), north of Nakuru, the location of the district headquarters. This is approximately 185 kilometres (115 mi), by road, northwest of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya. The coordinates of Menengai Crater are:0°11'43.0"S, 36°04'54.0"E (Latitude:-0.195276; Longitude:36.081678).[3]

Overview

Geothermal Development Company (GDC), a geothermal development company, wholly owned by the Kenyan government has drilled geothermal wells in the Menengai Crater, whose total capacity can generate up to 130 MW (170,000 hp) of electric energy.

GDC will sell the steam to three independent power producers (IPPs) to build three geothermal power stations, each with capacity of 35 MW (47,000 hp). The power stations are:[4][5]

1. Menengai I Geothermal Power Station - Owned by Orpower Twenty Two
2. Menengai II Geothermal Power Station - Owned by Quantum Power East Africa
3. Menengai III Geothermal Power Station - Owned by Sosian Energy

The Menengai IPP power projects are expected to come online during the second half of 2017.[1]

Ownership

Menengai III Geothermal Power Station is owned by Sosian Energy Limited, a Kenyan independent power producer (IPP).[6] Sosian Energy has selected Kaishan Renewable Energy Development, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Kaishan Compressor, a Chinese construction conglomerate, to build its geothermal power plant.[7][8]

Recent developments

In March 2022, the Narendra Raval, a wealthy Kenyan industrialist and business mogul, divested from Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power Limited, a Kenyan independent power producer (IPP) which owns a concession contract to build the 35 megawatts Menengai III Geothermal Power Station. The ownership was sold to Gideon Moi, a son of the late Daniel arap Moi, the second president of Kenya, at an undisclosed monetary consideration.[9]

In April 2022, the African Development Bank (AfDB), which was considering funding this renewable energy infrastructure, withdrew its support for the project and insisted on "change of ownership" before it would consider proving financing.[10]

See also

• List of power stations in Kenya
• Geothermal power in Kenya

References

External links

• GDC reports current steam output of 130 MW at Menengai