Olkaria V Geothermal Power Station


The Olkaria V Geothermal Power Station, also known as the Olkaria V Geothermal Power Plant is a power station in Kenya, with an electric capacity of.

Location

The power station is located in the Olkaria area, in Hell's Gate National Park, in Nakuru County, approximately, by road, southeast of the city of Nakuru, where the county headquarters are located. Olkaria is approximately, by road, northwest of Nairobi.

Overview

The Olkaria 5 project generates 140 MW, although other reliable sources have put planned capacity at. The power station is jointly financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Kenya Electricity Generating Company. The budgeted cost is Sh40 billion.
A consortium of two Japanese firms and one Kenyan company, was selected to provide the necessary equipment and build the power plant. Mitsubishi Corporation supplied the main equipment. transported the equipment from the port of Mombasa to the construction site at Olkaria and installed the machinery. H Young & Company, a Kenyan outfit, supplied the remaining parts required to construct the power station. HY is also responsible for civil engineering works and installation of the parts that they provide.
The Olkaria V plant in Great Rift Valley, Kenya was first synchronized to the National Grid on 28 June 2019 and its first unit has reached its full design output of 79 megawatts. A second unit came online in October 2019, bringing Kenya's total geothermal capacity to between 700 and 850 MW.

History

Olkaria 5 power plant is another in a series of six geothermal stations either planned or already operational in the Olkaria area in Nakuru County. Construction began in April 2017. Completion and commercial power production began in 2019.

Ownership

Olkaria V Geothermal Power Station is wholly owned by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company.