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 ...
PGEO’s Big Leap: Powering Indonesia’s Green Data Centers with Geothermal Energy By: Robert Buluma Indonesia’s digital economy is expanding at breakneck speed. With more than 212 million internet users, rapid cloud adoption, AI deployment, fintech growth, and government-led digitalization, the country is witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand for data centers. But behind the glowing screens and humming servers lies a critical question: how will Indonesia power this digital future sustainably? PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk (PGEO ) believes it has the answer,green data centers powered by geothermal energy. In a landmark move that could redefine the intersection between energy and digital infrastructure in Southeast Asia, PGEO has unveiled plans to expand its business into geothermal-powered green data centers, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Indonesia. This strategy places geothermal energy not just as a baseload power source, but as a cornerstone of the country’s low-carbon d...