The earlier announced repairs have been completed for the 35-MW turbine of the Olkaria II geothermal power station of KenGen in Kenya.
The repair work was carried out by a team consisting of Symba Renewable Energy (SRE), Chola Turbo Machinery International (CTMI), and local partner Soni Technical Services (STS).
The turbine was initially underperforming at 26 MW. An inspection revealed that issues with the first stage of the rotor caused the underperformance. After the successful repairs, the unit is now running at 35.4 MW. KenGen Acting Geothermal Director Peketsa Mangi and O&M Manager Samson Kimani said that the repair team “did an excellent job.”
“This project has enabled the partnership between CTMI and SRE to further expand our activities in the geothermal and heat recovery sectors in Africa. We very much look forward to serving other customers in the very important and fast-growing African market”. said SRE CEO Reginald Fubara.
SRE is a renewable technology company headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland that specializes in designing and manufacturing advanced geothermal power plants. They are currently on project for the Biliran and Montelago geothermal sites in the Philippines, partnered with subsidiaries of Emerging Power Inc.
Olkaria II Power Station is one of Africa’s largest Geothermal Power stations. It generates 70MW and is the second geothermal plant owned and operated by KenGen. The second phase of Olkaria || was commissioned in 2010 injecting an extra 35 MW of power making a total of 150MW of power produced through geothermal means.
About KenGen
90% of electricity generation in Kenya is from Renewable Energy sources and Kenya is aiming to achieve 100% Renewable Energy share by 2030
KenGen’s geothermal prowess has cemented Kenya in the eighth position globally and the leader in Africa. All factors constant, the commissioning of Olkaria I Unit 6 will earn us position six, an inch closer to the Geothermal Gigawatt Club
Leveraging on these strengths, KenGen has broken ground as the first state corporation to expand beyond the Kenyan borders by securing several geothermal drilling consultancy contracts in Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have engaged KenGen for geoscientific studies with the objective of undertaking drilling, subject to the findings.
