The Ministry of Energy & Petroleum of Kenya hosted the Italy-Kenya Business & Investment Forum on Geothermal” on March 27, 2023, at the Kawi Complex Auditorium in Nairobi, Kenya.
The interactive forum brought together actors from business, policy and technical fields. It was facilitated by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE), in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Kenya, the Geothermal Association of Kenya (GAK) and Unione Geothermic Italian (UGI). The Forum was part of UNIDO ITPO Italy’s mission to Kenya for an Italian business and institutional delegation in the geothermal sector.
Principal Secretary, State Department for Energy Mr. Alex Wachira gave the keynote address. The PS underscored the importance of renewable and sustainable energy sources such as geothermal that are independent of weather fluctuations. “Kenya will prioritize geothermal energy as baseload amongst its vast renewable energy resources,” he noted, “the Government will continue to create a conducive operational environment for the development of the geothermal subsector,” he added.
In his presentation the Ag. GDC MD and CEO Mr. Paul Ngugi highlighted GDC’s milestones and future plans for Menengai and Baringo-Silali. He encouraged partnerships between Italy and GDC that will further propel exploration and utilization of Kenya’s geothermal resource. “GDC is ready to welcome investments in the vast geothermal sector in Kenya,” he remarked.
Mr. Ngugi also noted that GDC has made immense investment in the geothermal sector for the past 13 years, having ventured in areas beyond electricity generation, that is Direct Use, which investors would be interest in. Delegates at the Forum also visited the Menengai Geothermal Project where they had an opportunity to visit the Direct Use demo site.
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