Posted on :Friday , 2nd October 2020

The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) has recently launched exploratory drilling at the Korosi geothermal site in the Rift Valley of Western Kenya. These drillings are part of the Baringo-Silali geothermal project which is said to produce 3,000 MWe.

After having carried out exploratory drilling at the Paka geothermal site, the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is starting operations at the Korosi site. The parapublic company will drill 3 wells through its GDC Drilling and Infrastructure branch. The main purpose of the operations is to confirm the availability of the resource (heat), before boarding on the evaluation and subsequent production drilling.

Situated in Baringo County in the Rift Valley of Western Kenya, the Korosi geothermal site has an expected power generation potential of 600 MWe. "Korosi is anticipated to have a positive impact on the host community, as it will built up the area to numerous socio-economic activities," mentioned GDC. The exploratory drilling which began a few months ago on the Paka geothermal site has been successful.

After Korosi, GDC is said to launch exploratory drilling in the Silali zone in Baringo County. According to the Nairobi-based company, the 3 geothermal sites together will produce 3,000 MWe. GDC plans to device the project in 3 phases of 1,000 MWe each. As part of its exploratory drilling, the company has received two grants from the Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF), a sub-regional organization that finances and facilitates the development of geothermal energy in East Africa.

Valued at 1.3 billion shillings ($13 million), the first grant was awarded in March 2019. The second grant of 1.9 billion shillings ($18.6 million) was released in November 2019.