Skip to main content

Just In

Eavor Kleefeld II Permit Boosts Hannover Geothermal Expansion and Deep Heat Development

KenGen's Increase of Finances and more Green Projects

 Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen), has reported a significant 48% growth in profit after tax for the year ended June 30, 2023, surging to Ksh.5.02 billion up from Ksh.3.4 billion in the previous year.



At the same time, the NSE-listed company has reported a steady 14% growth in revenues from Ksh.47.48 billion in 2022 to Ksh.53.96 billion, largely driven by the company’s investments in geothermal energy.


“In a landscape filled with both opportunities and challenges, the KenGen team has demonstrated remarkable resilience. We are proud to announce a remarkable Ksh.5.02 billion representing a 48% growth in our profit after tax,” said the Managing Director and CEO, Eng. Peter Njenga, adding “This achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to providing clean, reliable energy to Kenyans,”


Speaking in Mombasa, Eng. Njenga attributed the impressive performance to the enhanced operational efficiency of the company’s geothermal fleet in Olkaria, Naivasha, further bolstered by a positive impact of the newly commissioned Olkaria I Additional Unit 6 geothermal power plant which added 86MW to the grid in July 2022.


“The commissioning of Olkaria I AU 6 geothermal power plant pushed up our geothermal generation by 24 percent. This contributed to an overall increase in electricity unit sales from 7,918GWh in 2022 to 8,027GWh,” said Eng. Njenga.


However, KenGen reported an increase in operating costs which the CEO attributed to rising insurance and impairment costs. This was however matched by growth in revenue resulting in a pre-tax profit of Ksh.8.5 billion, which was a substantial improvement from Ksh.6.2 billion reported in the previous year.


“We are confident that our Good-to-Great Transformation Strategy is on course and will continue to deliver growth over the next decade to ensure a reliable supply of clean and affordable energy to the people of Kenya,” said Eng. Njenga, adding that the company contributed over 66% of Kenya’s electricity consumption in the year.


The NSE-listed company CEO said KenGen had helped cushion Kenyans from the effects of climate change which has seen rainfall levels drop in the country over the past few years.


He said: “Notably, our investments in geothermal energy ensured uninterrupted electricity supply, even in the face of challenges posed by a prolonged drought and reduced hydropower generation.”


Looking ahead, KenGen will be banking on the growth in demand for electricity in Kenya which continues to soar at about 5% annually. In line with the demand and the Least Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP), the company has announced ambitious plans to augment generation capacity by more than 154MW over the next two years through the rehabilitation and uprating of its existing power plants.


“One of the projects we are looking to deliver soon include the Gogo Hydropower Redevelopment Project in Migori County which was approved by cabinet recently and is set to elevate the dam's electricity capacity from its current 2MW to 8.6MW,” said Eng. Njenga.


KenGen boasts a diverse energy portfolio, including geothermal, hydro, wind, and thermal adding up to 1,904MW of which 86% is drawn from renewable sources.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

TAQA Geothermal and Strataphy Collaborates To Advance Saudi Arabia Geothermal Cooling

PrimeLoop and the Geothermal Cooling Revolution in Saudi Arabia Image: Pictorial Views Saudi Arabia is entering a new phase in cooling technology, and geothermal cooling is becoming one of the most compelling solutions in that transition. At the center of this shift is PrimeLoop, Strataphy’s proprietary geothermal cooling system, which is being positioned as a commercial answer to one of the region’s most urgent infrastructure challenges: how to cool buildings efficiently in extreme heat while reducing electricity demand and water use. This matters because cooling is not a minor utility in the Gulf. It is a core operating cost, a grid stability issue, and an environmental pressure point all at once. In a country where ambient temperatures can push conventional air-conditioning systems to their limits, the search for smarter cooling is no longer theoretical. It is now a commercial necessity. PrimeLoop is interesting because it does not simply improve on conventional cooling. It rethinks...

University of Aberdeen and RGU partner to accelerate geothermal heating deployment

University of Aberdeen and RGU join forces to accelerate geothermal energy research and heat-network deployment Image: Lucy Leiper, Director of Research, Innovation & Enterprise at the University of Aberdeen and Christina Laing, Business Development Manager at Robert Gordon University The University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University (RGU) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to explore collaborative research, training and commercial activity in geothermal energy and low-carbon heating. This strategic partnership aims to combine subsurface expertise, drilling and modelling capabilities, supply-chain development, and skills training to accelerate geothermal deployment and support the just transition to net-zero heating across Scotland and beyond. Why this partnership matters for the geothermal sector Geothermal heat offers a predictable, baseload source of low-carbon thermal energy that can decarbonise district heating, industry process heat and building heating demand. Scotl...

Geothermal Steam Output Gap, Decline, Integrity, and Life Extension

The Disparity Between Anticipated and Actual Geothermal Steam Output Image: thematic image of the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in Iceland  Geothermal energy is one of the most dependable baseload renewables, but the gap between expected steam output and real production remains a central industry problem. Exploration models are always incomplete, and once wells are onstream, pressure decline, scaling, corrosion, and thermal breakthrough steadily erode performance. Why Forecasts Miss the Mark Exploration depends on sparse wells, surface manifestations, geophysical surveys, and geochemical indicators, so it only samples a small part of a complex reservoir. Reservoirs are rarely uniform, and permeability, porosity, mineralogy, and thermal conductivity can vary sharply over short distances, which means early temperature or chemistry readings can overstate how much of the reservoir will actually support long-term production. Phase behavior adds another layer of uncertainty. In two-...

Expro Enhanced Drilling Deal Boosts Geothermal MPD, RMR Applications

Expro completes Enhanced Drilling acquisition, implications for geothermal MPD and RMR applications Image: a thematic picture of an offshore drilling company  Summary   Expro’s acquisition of Enhanced Drilling , bringing managed pressure drilling (MPD) and riserless mud recovery (RMR) into its global portfolio, is significant for geothermal developers and drilling teams. MPD offers fine-grained control of bottomhole pressure that directly addresses narrow drilling margins, lost-circulation risk, and inflow, underbalance events common in deep, high-temperature geothermal wells and engineered geothermal systems (EGS). RMR’s capabilities for capturing and recovering drilling fluids without a riser translate to lower logistics costs and reduced environmental footprint on shallow offshore or nearshore geothermal projects and onshore marginal sites where cuttings handling is constrained. For geothermal operations, integrating MPD and RMR can improve drilling efficiency, redu...

The Economics of 10 MW, 50 MW, and 100 MW Geothermal Plants

The Economics of 10 MW, 50 MW, and 100 MW Geothermal Plants Image: A thematic image of a geothermal power plant  Geothermal power has a simple promise and a complicated price tag. It turns heat from deep underground into steady electricity, but the money goes out long before the power comes in, because exploration, drilling, plant construction, and grid connection all happen up front. That is why plant size matters so much. In general, 10 MW projects tend to be the most expensive per kilowatt, 50 MW projects usually strike a better balance, and 100 MW plants can be the most efficient on a cost per electricity basis if the reservoir is strong enough. Why geothermal costs so much upfront The economics of geothermal are driven by risk and scale. A developer has to locate the resource, confirm temperature and flow, drill wells, build surface facilities, and connect everything to the grid before a single dollar of revenue is earned. That makes geothermal very different from technologies...

Reviving Lightning Dock: How Zanskar Rebuilt A Failing Geothermal Plant

How an Overlooked Geothermal Plant Got a Second Chance A struggling geothermal power plant in New Mexico has become a case study in what happens when modern subsurface modeling meets a neglected resource. Zanskar’s revival of Lightning Dock suggests that many conventional geothermal sites may still have untapped value if operators can find the right well placement and drilling strategy. Introduction For years, Lightning Dock looked like a classic underperforming geothermal asset: temperatures fell, output weakened, and the plant moved closer to uneconomic operation. But after Zanskar acquired the facility, drilled a deeper well, and applied advanced modeling, the site returned to full capacity and now produces far more electricity than it did before. That turnaround matters because geothermal energy is one of the few clean power sources that can run 24/7. If more existing fields can be repowered instead of abandoned, geothermal could grow faster without relying only on brand-new fronti...

UPLIFT MTD® Micro Turbine Drilling Retrofit, Deep Geothermal Well Enhancement, Cost-Effective Heat Scaling

UPLIFT and MTD®: Unlocking More Heat from Existing Deep Geothermal Wells Deep geothermal must scale rapidly to supply reliable, low-carbon heat for cities and industry. The EU-funded UPLIFT project (Grant agreement ID: 101269511) and Fraunhofer’s Micro Turbine Drilling (MTD®) technology together target one of geothermal energy’s biggest practical barriers: insufficient flow and reservoir contact in drilled wells. By enabling rigless, precision side-drilling inside existing boreholes, MTD® and the UPLIFT consortium aim to increase produced water volumes, reduce exploration risk, and accelerate project timelines, creating a pragmatic pathway to cheaper, more dependable geothermal heat. Why improving existing wells matters for the heat transition Deep geothermal provides baseload, low-carbon heat but project economics hinge on fluid flow and reservoir contact. , Many projects underperform because single boreholes intersect limited permeable zones; drilling new wells is expensive and risky...

Kaishan and Halliburton Boost Geothermal EGS, Green Hydrogen, and Green Ammonia Projects

Kaishan , Halliburton Team Up on Advanced Geothermal, Green Fuel Projects Kaishan Group and Halliburton have deepened their cooperation with a strategic memorandum of understanding centered on advanced geothermal development, especially enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), along with green hydrogen and green ammonia opportunities. The deal builds on earlier Indonesia drilling work and signals a broader push to combine Halliburton’s high-end well-construction capabilities with Kaishan’s geothermal equipment and project-development platform. Partnership Background The relationship did not begin with the July 2026 memorandum. In February 2026, Halliburton said it had won a multiyear contract from KS Orka Renewables , part of Kaishan’s wider corporate group, to support geothermal well construction at the PT Sorik Marapi Geothermal Power and PT Sokoria Geothermal Indonesia projects in Indonesia. That work covered directional drilling, cementing, drilling fluids, and drill bits across several...

Texas Deep Geopressured Geothermal Permit Advances Long-Duration Energy Storage, Binary Power, and Grid Firming

Texas Issues Second Deep Geopressured Geothermal Permit, What it Means for U.S. Geothermal Development The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) issued its second permit for a deep geopressured geothermal well in July 2026, approving Quidnet Energy Deployment LLC to drill a geothermal energy storage well in Galveston County. This permit follows the RRC’s first deep geopressured authorization in February 2025 for Sage Geosystems in Atascosa County. Together, these approvals mark a meaningful step in Texas’s pivot from traditional fossil-fuel regulation toward enabling novel subsurface energy technologies, leveraging decades of oil and gas oversight to manage drilling, completion, and subsurface engineering risks. This article explains geopressured geothermal fundamentals, why Texas matters, technical and environmental considerations, market and policy implications, and what to watch next for developers and stakeholders. What is Deep Geopressured Geothermal? Deep geopressured geothermal syste...

Superhot Rock Geothermal Energy and AI Data Centers: The Global Race for Firm Clean Power

Superhot Rock Geothermal: The Countries Racing to Power AI Data Centers and Industry Superhot rock geothermal is moving from a research frontier toward a serious clean-power strategy. The strongest current momentum is in New Zealand, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Italy, and the United States, where international collaboration is already underway and major reports now treat superhot rock as part of the future energy mix . AI is one of the biggest reasons this matters now. Data centers need massive amounts of continuous electricity, and geothermal is attractive because it can provide firm 24/7 power without the intermittency problems that complicate wind and solar for always-on workloads . Why superhot rock matters Superhot rock geothermal refers to geothermal systems that access rock at very high temperatures, often above 400°C, by drilling deep into the subsurface and extracting heat with engineered wells and circulation systems . The basic idea is simple: go deeper, reach hotter rock, and ...