KenGen reports 30 MW well, largest one drilled in Africa
Geothermal well at Menengai, Kenya (source: flickr/ ScientificDrilling)
Alexander Richter
14 Şub 2014
KenGen reports having drilled the largest geothermal well in Africa so far. With a capacity of 30 MW it comes close to some of the largest geothermal wells found in Indonesia and California.
In an interview with Reuters, Alberto Mugo, the Managing Director of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) reports that the company has drilled the largest geothermal well in Africa with a potential power generation capacity of up to 30 MW.
The well was drilled at Olkaria, the geothermal field about 3 hours north of the capital Nairobi. The well output measured here is about 4 times the size of a standard size well so far. On average wells have had a production capacity of 7 MW in the region.
In his statement, Albert Mugo said, that “This is the largest well in Africa at 30 MW and will see the cost of producing power drop drastically in the coming months.”
So far the largest geothermal wells have been drilled in Indonesia and California with up to 40 MW per well.
Having a single well now with 30 MW of capacity could mean large savings of up to $30 million due to the cost saved to drill additional wells.
The well has a depth of 3,000 meters.
Source: Yahoo/ Reuters
