Kenyan President William Ruto Lauds German Investments In Green Energy

Posted by Eric Ojo Latest Headlines, World News Monday, May 8th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President of Kenya, William Ruto has commended the German Government for its support and investments in the green energy sector, particularly in the Kenyan economy.

President Ruto made the commendation during the visit of the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz to Kenya. Scholz visited Africa’s largest geothermal plant in East African country.

“Our 92 percent of renewable energy in our grid today has a substantial contribution by German technology and German investments”, Ruto said.

He also called on German politicians to do more internationally to ensure that industrialized countries provide more investment in green energy projects in the Global South.

The five power plants in Olkaria on the edge of Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park around 120 kilometres north-west of Nairobi have an installed capacity of around 800 megawatts and play a crucial role in the country’s energy production.

Kenya’s location along the East African Rift Valley, which was formed when the Arab plate split off from the African plate, and the volcanic activity in the region offer the best conditions.

The potential of this type of energy in the region is estimated at 10 gigawatts, but it is still unclear whether this can be fully exploited.

While speaking during the visit, the German Chancellor said geothermal energy is possible in many more places in Germany than people think today.

“It is also something that we can use in Germany, and we will do so. Because there is a lot potential in this way of producing energy in a climate-friendly way” he added.

He noted that Germany should take Kenya as an example when it comes to using one’s natural resources: “We don’t have any volcanic regions like this in Germany, but we have many areas and landscapes that have potential for geothermal energy”, he further explained.

Scholz said the use of geothermal energy will be re-evaluated again. “The potential is a big one. With modern technology, we also have the possibility that we can better determine whether drilling will be successful”, he stressed

The chancellor equally pointed that that both heat and electricity can be won from geothermal energy. He was impressed that Kenya – ahead of schedule – is expected to obtain all its electricity production from renewable sources by 2030.

“We have also made the necessary decisions to achieve the pace to reach our ambitious climate goals”, he said in reference to Germany.

He also disclosed that by the year 2030 Germany wants to be able to produce 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

“But Kenya’s pioneering role must also be seen in context: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) noted Kenya only produces some 12 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity, whereas Germany, which is much more industrialized, produces almost 50 times as much.

“Germany’s involvement in green energy projects in Kenya – especially in the field of geothermal energy – has a long tradition. For more than 20 years, Germany has been investing in such projects, among others through the state development bank KfW and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). Germany also invested millions in the construction of the Olkaria plant”, he added.

In the future, according to him, Germany also wants to focus on building a hydrogen economy in Kenya.

“Whether Germany will be able to profit from hydrogen imports from Kenya is still questionable. For Kenya, however, green hydrogen produced with renewable electricity offers great potential. This includes, above all, the production of climate-friendly fertilizers for agriculture, natural gas is still needed for hydrogen production”, he further stated.

Meanwhile, agriculture is a central economic sector in the East African country.