KenGen Risks Losing Olkaria Wells Over 18-Year Licence Blunder Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) faces a serious legal and operational risk at Olkaria after an error in the coordinates of its geothermal licence left part of the company’s wells, steam infrastructure and other assets outside its legally recognised area. The licensing mistake, made nearly two decades ago, remains unresolved despite the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum acknowledging the problem in 2017. The dispute has raised questions about the security of KenGen’s investments, the government’s management of geothermal resources and the potential consequences for Kenya’s electricity supply. Olkaria is the country’s most important geothermal centre and accounts for the overwhelming majority of Kenya’s installed geothermal generation capacity. Licence Error Exposes Strategic Assets The problem dates back to September 19, 2008, when the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum issued KenGen a licence covering ...
Unlocking the UK’s Geothermal Future: A New Platform for Decarbonisation By: Robert Buluma The UK has just taken a bold step toward a cleaner energy future with the launch of the UK Geothermal Platform , an innovative government-funded initiative designed to highlight geothermal potential across the nation. Developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), this platform is set to become a game-changer in the race to net zero. What is the UK Geothermal Platform? At its core, the platform is an interactive map and data hub that brings together a wealth of geoscientific information—spanning national to local scales—about the geothermal resources lying beneath Britain’s surface. From shallow ground-source heat pumps to deep geothermal systems in granites, the tool allows decision makers, developers, and researchers to evaluate the geothermal potential of any area with ease. Dr. Alison Monaghan, head of geotherm...