Menengai’s Broken Promise: How Kenya’s Geothermal Model Lost the Steam Thematic image of the Olkaria Geothermal Field Kenya’s Menengai geothermal project was sold as a model of modern public-private partnership. The state would carry the difficult and expensive burden of geothermal exploration and drilling. Private power producers would then build, own and operate power plants. Geothermal Development Company would supply the steam; the independent power producers would convert it into electricity; Kenya Power would buy the output. On paper, the arrangement was elegant. In practice, Menengai has exposed a far more uncomfortable reality: Kenya’s public steam-supply model is not delivering the certainty it promised. Menengai Phase I was designed to produce 105 megawatts from three 35 MW plants. GDC’s own project page says the three plants were awarded to Globeleq Menengai Geothermal, Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power and OrPower Twenty Two under a build-own-operate structure. Yet the ...
Germany Launches Landmark Financing Program to Accelerate Deep Geothermal Heat Projects By: Robert Buluma Germany has taken a decisive step toward securing a climate-neutral heat future. On December 18, 2025, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK), KfW Development Bank , and global reinsurer Munich Re officially launched a groundbreaking funding program designed to unlock large-scale investments in deep geothermal energy for municipal and industrial heat supply. The new initiative, known as the KfW Geothermal Promotional Loan (KfW-Förderkredit Geothermie), directly addresses one of the most persistent bottlenecks in geothermal development: the high financial risk associated with drilling deep geothermal wells. By combining low-interest loans with comprehensive risk coverage, the program is set to significantly accelerate geothermal deployment across Germany. Why Deep Geothermal Matters for Germany’s Heat Transition While Germany has made remarkable progre...