Kenya just completed the Olkaria VII Geothermal Complex in the East African Rift Valley — adding 1,000 megawatts of clean capacity and making Kenya the first African country where more than 50 percent of national electricity comes from geothermal energy.

 

Kenya just completed the Olkaria VII Geothermal Complex in the East African Rift Valley — adding 1,000 megawatts of clean capacity and making Kenya the first African country where more than 50 percent of national electricity comes from geothermal energy.

The East African Rift is one of Earth's most geothermally active zones, where tectonic plates pull apart at 6 millimeters annually, bringing volcanic heat to commercially drillable depths across thousands of square kilometers. Olkaria VII adds 50 new production wells averaging 20 megawatts each and a dedicated transmission line connecting to Nairobi's industrial zone.

Kenya now generates electricity at 3.2 US cents per kilowatt-hour from geothermal — cheaper than coal anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa and available 24 hours daily regardless of weather, making Kenyan manufacturing energy costs competitive with any industrial nation.

Source: KenGen Kenya Electricity Generating Company, Kenya Power, African Development Bank, 2025

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