KenGen seeks experts to guide geothermal output expansion

State-owned Kenya Electricity Generating Company #ticker:KEGN (KenGen) is seeking to hire experts to guide efforts to raise its geothermal capacity.

The experts will advise the company on scientific, engineering and project management aspects of geothermal development activities and power plant operations for a period of four years subject to annual renewal.

“KenGen, together with the government, plans to increase geothermal power capacity to 1,260 megawatts (MW) by 2022,” said KenGen of the call that is part of a wider plan to double its total electricity generating capacity to 4,270 MW by 2025.

“To achieve this target, the company would wish to engage five international experts and one local geothermal expert in the board of consultants.”

The moves comes as KenGen’s position as the dominant power producer in the country gets challenged by new private players who are making multibillion-shilling investments in the renewable energy segment.

In a recent report, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) said the dominance of KenGen, which has a capacity of 1,803 MW and supplies three quarters of Kenya’s electricity, is being chipped away by the private firms, who are mainly active in the field of renewable and green energy.

Even so, Epra noted that the structure and share of power generation still remains hugely in favour of KenGen which also continues to make huge investments in expanding its capacity.

KenGen mainly generates hydro and geothermal power, with independent producers mainly working in the thermal, wind and solar space.

It had a 76 per cent market share in 2018, while independent power producers accounted for 24 per cent.