Speaking at a ceremony marking the beginning of construction of the Olkaria IV geothermal energy project, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the plant will put his nation firmly on the path to Vision 2030, its long-term economic development plan.
"Affordable, reliable and adequate power are key to the attainment of this economic growth blueprint," Kibaki said, according to the Daily Nation, Kenya's leading daily independent newspaper.
"With the commencement of this project, we [begin] the shift from water-based electricity to a geothermal-based power future," he said.
The Olkaria geothermal project by state-owned Kenya Electricity Generating Company will contribute 280-megawatts to the national grid when completed in 2014.
The $981 million Olkaria IV is expected to be connected to Kenya's national grid in 2014, increasing power generation in the country by 25 percent.
Kenya is the first among African nations to tap the potential of their geothermal resources, according to the United Nations.
Among those helping to finance the project are the World Bank, the French Agency for Development, the German Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Japan International Co-operation Agency.
The project is being undertaken by the Kenyan government and KenGen, Kenya's largest energy producer.
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