Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has secured a contract to deliver two sets of geothermal power generation equipment for the Olkaria V Geothermal Power Plant in Kenya.
MHPS, along with Mitsubishi Corporation and H. Young & Company (East Africa), has received a full-turnkey contract from Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) to install the equipment at the plant located in Nakuru district in central Kenya.
The order includes supply of two 70MW class steam turbines, condensers, generators and other key auxiliaries.
As part of the contract, MHPS will also be responsible for the design aspects of the geothermal facilities.
Slated to be commissioned in 2019, the new geothermal plant is located about 100kms from Kenya capital, Nairobi in the northwest direction. It stands at an elevation of about 2,000mts in the Great Rift Valley.
The current power plant facilities in the Olkaria geothermal field will be expanded by the new project which is expected to solve the severely stretched energy supplies in the urban areas of Kenya to some extent.
Besides, it will increase renewable energy production in the country to bring down carbon emissions.
KenGen has been supported in the project by an ODA (Official Development Assistance) loan arrangement from the Japanese government represented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
MHPS would also provide technical advisors to the location to help H.Young in installation and commissioning of the power generation facilities.
Previously, the Japanese manufacturer of thermal power systems had supplied six sets of power generating equipment for the Olkaria I and II geothermal power facilities with 150MW total output.
Elsewhere in Hong Kong, MHPS was awarded an order from Hongkong Electric, earlier in the month, for natural-gas-fired gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power generation system equipment for the Lamma power station extension project.
Image: Steam turbine for geothermal power plant. Photo: courtesy of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, LTD.