The Kenya Geothermal Congress is taking place from July 12-17 in Nairobi Kenya. The Congress, which is organized by the Geothermal Association of Kenya is gathering representatives from the global geothermal community active in Kenya or with interest for cooperation with the dynamic Kenyan geothermal sector.
The GEO-ENERGY EUROPE metacluster is organizing a site visit during the Kenya Geothermal Congress as part of its effort to create cooperation opportunities between European geothermal SMEs and those in Kenya, to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy. This site follows previous exchanges organised online during the COVID pandemic, and finally allows members of GEO-ENERGY EUROPE and the Geothermal Association of Kenya to exchange in person on cooperation opportunities.
Europe and Kenya face very different energy challenges but share many solutions, among which geothermal is far from the least important. For both regions, geothermal energy has gained in strategic importance in the midst of a global energy price crisis which highlights the relevance of this reliable and domestic energy resource.
Cooperation between the Kenyan and the European industry can be an asset to unlock geothermal energy’s potential in the African Rift region, enabled by the highly innovative technologies tested and implemented in the European market and the extensive knowhow of the Kenyan industry.
The market visit led to a better understanding of the role of policies and regulatory instruments in spurring geothermal development in Kenya. The role of the private sector and industry in geothermal energy utilization was debated.
The discussion on opportunities for oil and gas in the geothermal sector was of particular interest, as this aligns well with key focus objectives of some GeoEnergy Europe companies. GeoEnergy Europe welcomes the strong Ministry expression of support for partnerships and provision of leadership on policy, paving the way forward for acceleration of the role of geothermal in the energy mix.
Joe Mongan, representative of Geoscience Ireland, coordinator of the GEO-ENERGY EUROPE metacluster declared, “The estimated geothermal potential in Kenya is about 10 GW and just under 10% of this has been developed, in terms of installed capacity. With Kenya soon to reach the “1GW country club” in geothermal installed capacity, we see good opportunities for partnerships between GeoEnergy Europe SME’s and their Kenya counterparts to share expertise in the application of leading edge technologies for value creation and the acceleration the geothermal business in Kenya.”
Dario Bonciani, representative of COSVIG-DTE2V, a GEO-ENERGY EUROPE partner added, “This is a country with a huge potential and a geothermal market in expansion. Investments are favoured by the government and this renewable is considered as strategic here, to support the decarbonization of the energy sector. Some of our member companies already have a well-developed business in Kenya and some other have a great potential to provide consultancies to local operators, thanks to their highlevel know-how. “
Ferenc Fedor, president of CAPES , a GEO-ENERGY EUROPE Partner noted, “Kenya's commitment to zero emissions is exemplary. At the same time, it poses a huge challenge in terms of both financial support and technological development as well as knowledge transfer. This creates an opportunity to share our experience and export our knowledge to Kenya and through it to many African countries.”
