The Geothermal Improvement Firm (GDC) has registered a key milestone following the signing of geothermal steam supplies agreement with Karsan Ramji and Sons LTD at Menengai. The steam will be used for power generation while the brine will be for drying components of cement.
This is a breakthrough for GDC which is championing Direct Uses of geothermal energy as a key plank of diversification and financial sustainability.
“This engagement, the first of its kind, opens new investment frontiers around the geothermal ecosystem. It is also part of GDC’s diversification strategy towards financial sustainability,” the GDC Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Paul Ngugi said.
Further, the Chairman of the GDC Board of Directors, Hon. Walter Nyambati while hailing the deal, assured investors that the organisational corporate governance is sound and supportive of such ventures.
“We are taking a departure from the conventional power generation into an exciting and promising realm of captive power and thermal heat. And this is critical. It means, we are, in essence, expanding the geothermal pie and making it accessible and profitable,” explained Mr. Ngugi.
Karsan Ramji was represented by its CEO Mr Kishor Varsani and the Project Lead Adviser Dr. George Muia.
“Our use of geothermal energy to produce cement from geothermal steam will lower the cost of cement,” noted Mr. Kishor.
Dr. Muia explained that “Ndovu Cement … shall install a wellhead generation unit that has a capacity of 4MW to power the cement factory and a drying unit that has a capacity of 700tonnes per day for the purposes of preheating some of the cement production components. The drying process will directly utilize brine that will also be supplied by GDC.”
GDC is leading a charm offensive of geothermal exploration, drilling, and development in Kenya. It has projects in Olkaria, Menengai, and the Baringo-Silali Geothermal Block. Currently, GDC’s steam is generating about 355 MW of power that goes to the Kenyan National Grid.
