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 ...
Vulcan – Mersen Alliance Signals a New Era for Lithium and Geothermal Integration By: Robert Buluma In a world racing toward electrification, the battle for critical minerals is intensifying. Lithium, the backbone of modern batteries, has become one of the most strategically important resources of the 21st century. But while demand surges, so does scrutiny—over sustainability, supply chains, and environmental impact. Against this backdrop, a significant development has emerged: has signed a key supply agreement with for its flagship Lionheart project in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley. At first glance, this may look like a standard industrial supply deal. It is anything but. This agreement represents a deeper shift—one where lithium production, geothermal energy, chemical engineering, and circular industrial design converge into a single, integrated system. The Lionheart Vision: Lithium Without the Carbon Cost The Lionheart Project, located in the , is one of the most ambitious li...