East Africa’s Great Rift Valley is Geothermal Gold Mine
East Africa is set to get a natural boost next year by tapping into the sizeable reservoir of geothermal energy in its Rift Valley, according to a statement released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Engineers using new seismic tools to locate hot spots hit powerful veins of steam, warmed by heat from Earth’s core, near the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Several wells have been identified, most of them generating four to five megawatts of electricity, while one has a “bumper” capacity of eight megawatts, UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) said in their joint press conference.
The geothermal potential from the Rift Valley is “at least 7,000 megawatts,” providing a mighty contribution to the energy needs of 12 countries in East Africa, GEF Chief Executive Officer Monique Barbut said.
Under geothermal, superheated water from underground reservoir is drawn to the surface, where it can be harnessed for several uses according to the temperature.
In Kenya’s case, the water, heated at a depth of two or three kilometres, emerges as steam, which can be used to drive turbines. The Valley is a gouge that extends from the Red Sea to Madagascar where massive tectonic energies are ripping crustal plates apart.
Kenya already has a geothermal plant, dating back a quarter of a century, that delivers around 115 megawatts, or just over a tenth of the country’s electricity capacity.
The results have paved the way for an international effort in 2009 to expand geothermal energy up and down the Rift, which runs from Mozambique in the South to Djibouti in the North.
The Africa Rift Valley Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo) backed with close to US $18 million of funding and involving UNEP and the World Bank will now underwrite the risks of drilling in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, set to commence in early 2009.
The project, could also transform the prospects and costs for geothermal elsewhere in the world. Kenya has set itself a goal of generating 1200MW from geothermal by 2015.
“There are least 4000 MW of electricity ready for harvesting along the Rift. It is time to take this technology off the back burner in order to power livelihoods, fuel development and reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable fossil fuels,” said Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director.