Geothermal Energy is Powering Kenya: What Can Hawaii Learn?
Geothermal energy powers 47% of Kenya’s electricity. Although upfront costs are high, some analysts believe that due to lower maintenance and operating costs, they can break even sooner than people think.
by Olivia Cropper
photo courtesy of Geothermal Development Corporation of Kenya
Kenya now uses geothermal energy for approximately 47% of its power, dramatically reducing the need for imported oil and gas and freeing up a large portion of the country’s budget. Through geothermal energy and other technologies, Kenya hopes to one day become energy-independent and perhaps even export power to other countries. Kenya’s main advantage, which fuels this hope, comes from its unique geography.
The tectonic plates that make up the continent of Africa are slowly breaking apart, but with that split comes a massive amount of energy ready to be harnessed. Kenya has taken advantage of this geological event to catapult them into the list of the top 10 geothermal energy producers in the world. This rift runs about 4,350 miles (7,000 km) across the east of the continent and allows underground water to interact with extremely hot rock, forming steam. Typically, to reach steam that powers a geothermal plant, you need to drill down 3,000–4,000 meters, but in Kenya, some wells only need to be 900 meters deep. This short depth makes geothermal energy infinitely more accessible, allowing Kenya the opportunity to create a robust geothermal network.
While the geography does provide ample access to sites suitable for geothermal plants, it still costs a great deal of money to access them. Cyrus Karingithi, the leader of infrastructure and resource development in Olkaria, Kenya, says that drilling a well costs $6 million, with another $300 million needed to build a 165-megawatt plant. With such a high investment needed, it can be difficult to persuade investors to get involved. However, because of lower operating and maintenance costs, it is estimated that geothermal plants can take less time to break even than fossil fuel plants. This caveat, combined with the abundance of potential sites, seems to be enough for Kenya and investors to take the financial risk.
Once the well is drilled, it is tested for two months to ensure it produces enough flow before it is redirected to a plant or processed on-site at a mini-plant. These plants use the steam that is extracted to turn turbines and then inject the remaining hot water back into the ground to replenish the source. Replenishing the source also maintains the pressure of the system and allows plants to stay operational for as long as 30 years, or even 50 years, with the right operation. Kenya has taken complete advantage of this process, with an installed capacity of 963 megawatts produced by geothermal plants. The potential is much greater than current production, with experts estimating it has the potential to produce 10,000 megawatts.
Geothermal can provide a substantial amount of energy to the region, but frequent blackouts still occur due to aging infrastructure, the most recent one lasting 14 hours. Since the push for further geothermal development, those blackouts have been less common, and it seems the hope is that they will be less frequent as more electricity is produced.
It’s important to be aware that this surge in development has not come without cost. The largest and most glaring of these is the displacement of people who lived for generations where the plants are now located. There are many reports of unjust treatment stemming from the Hell’s Gate region, where prime geothermal sites are located. Community members have been shown legal documentation by KenGen, the largest power producer in Kenya, notifying them that the company owned their land. Critics say that the company preys on ignorance and illiteracy to steal Maasai land, while KenGen attempts to paint a different picture. The company’s narrative describes good relationships with the locals while providing new houses and jobs, whereas the locals say they have received nothing.
Even while conflicts arise, Kenya is moving forward with its plans for expanding renewable energy. Most recently, Kenya entered into a partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to expand renewable energy in Africa at the Africa Climate Summit in September 2023. Kenya’s President, William Rufo, has stated his goal of achieving 100% renewable power by 2030 and has asked IRENA for its support in expanding this goal to the world stage. IRENA says this partnership’s primary goals are “mobilizing finance, providing technical assistance and capacity building, and engaging the private sector.” As we continue to move into the age of renewables, geothermal plants will likely become more common, and Kenya is one of the places we will look to as an example. Kenya is off to the races, with an ambitious goal and now more support. Hawaii finds itself in a similar position of undergoing an energy transition, a transition that won’t come without challenges. Like Kenya, Hawaii has the geological capacity to support geothermal energy production, and with all options on the table, it’s never been more important to understand the implications of each type of renewable energy. The possibility of robust and consistent energy production is extremely attractive and would likely address many of the power needs of the islands. As we can see, even with the best intentions, there is still room for the same human rights violations that we often see in the fossil fuel industry. Geothermal energy production does not have these issues baked into its fabric; it can be done justly, but we must be intentional in our actions. As we move forward, I urge our communities and leaders to think holistically, learn from those who have been down the same paths, and truly consider every tool at our disposal to produce the energy we need.
