NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Kenya Taps Volcanic Heat to Generate Electricity

Kenya has tapped tapping the volcanic heat of the Great Rift Valley to generate electricity.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon today said he was fascinated by Kenya's resourcefulness and said the East African country may be on the way to becoming sufficient in low-carbon and resource-efficient energy to power a "green economy."

On Mr. Ban's visit to Olkaria Geothermal Plant near the Kenyan town of Naivasha, he said the power plant was an example of how the United Nations, the World Bank, aid donors and the private sector are supporting initiatives and public policies that can help to reduce poverty and lay the foundation for a sustainable future.

"It is a remarkable story - not just in terms of renewable energy and climate change - but in partnership for development."-Ban

According to Mr. Ban that Kenya's Vision 2030 [economic development blueprint] also includes waste-into-energy projects, co-generation and feed-in tariffs, and ongoing work with UNEP [UN Environment Programme] and other partners to support the tea industry with small-scale hydro power.

He said that although Kenya is not rich in oil, natural gas or coal reserves, the country has a wealth of "clean fuels" - from geothermal energy, to wind, solar and biomass. The country, he said, could generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity by 2018 by developing its geothermal capacity. The challenge is to integrate all the emerging components of a renewable energy economy into an efficient, modern distribution network, Mr. Ban said.

Source: United Nations