The plan is a flagship renewable energy project designed to boost Kenya\u2019s baseload generation and accelerate its clean\u2011energy transition. The loan was approved in November and will help expand geothermal capacity in the Menengai field, north of Nakuru.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
OTTL, an Independent Power Producer, is developing the plant as the third facility in the Menengai geothermal zone, complementing the operational 35 MW Sosian Menengai plant and the 35 MW Globeleq Menengai project, which is still under construction with separate AfDB financing. Together, the three plants will unlock the full 105 MW potential of the field\u2019s first development phase.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Menengai project builds on earlier AfDB financing of $145 million to Kenya\u2019s Geothermal Development Company (GDC), a state\u2011owned entity responsible for drilling and supplying steam to private developers. Electricity from the new plant will be purchased by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company under a 25\u2011year Power Purchase Agreement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Once operational, the OTTL is expected to generate roughly 301 GWh of clean baseload electricity annually. Officials say this will reduce Kenya\u2019s dependence on costly diesel\u2011powered generation, lower overall electricity tariffs and stabilise supply. The project is also projected to cut greenhouse\u2011gas emissions by an estimated 1.9 million tonnes over the PPA period.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wale Shonibare, AfDB Director for Energy Financial Solutions, said the Menengai model showcases \u201cthe power of public\u2011private collaboration\u201d, providing stable revenues for GDC while enabling private\u2011sector\u2011driven power generation. OTTL Director Qi Jingwen said the company is \u201chonoured\u201d to deploy proprietary geothermal technology that supports Africa\u2019s green\u2011energy ambitions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The project advances Kenya\u2019s Mission 300 Energy Compact, which targets growing geothermal capacity from 940 MW to 1 824 MW by 2030. Additional funding expected from the International Finance Corporation will bring the total project debt to $64.4 million of the estimated $91.9 million cost.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–AfDB\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22788,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-22787","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a $16.5 million loan to support the construction of the 35 MW OrPower Twenty\u2011Two (OTTL) Geothermal Power Plant. ","published_date":null,"news_description":"The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a $16.5 million loan to support the construction of the 35 MW OrPower Twenty\u2011Two (OTTL) Geothermal Power Plant. ","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25969,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/22787\/revisions\/25969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=22787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}