Geothermal handbook: PlanninG and Financing power Generation t e c h n I c a L r e p o r t 2 / 2

 
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africa | 
Apart from Pacific Asia, the East-African Rift Valley is the region with the strongest
hydrothermal potential. In this region, Kenya leads in developing geothermal power.
With the full backing of the Kenyan government and encouraging institutional developments,
including the recent creation of a dedicated public company, Geothermal Development
Company (GDC), Kenya is planning to add 2,000 MW of capacity by the end of this
decade. Such development, however, still depends on the ability to exploit new geothermal
fields, and information about the resources there still remains limited. Based on 2011
project preparations, Djibouti and Ethiopia are the other countries in the region likely to
increase their installed capacity by 50 to 200 MW. The situation in the countries of the
western branch of the Rift Valley (Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Uganda) is more uncertain, because they have not yet conducted test drillings
to prove the commercial viability of potential resources. Nevertheless, due to strong interest 
from their governments and promising results from exploratory activities, some pilot projects
might be developed. Tanzania, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar,
Comoros, and Mauritius, and several North African countries also offer good prospects.