Scholz advocates for more use of geothermal energy during his visit to the largest plant in Africa

NAIROBI, 6 May. (DPA/EP) –

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, spoke out this Saturday in favor of greater use of geothermal energy as an energy source in Germany, as he declared during a visit to the largest geothermal plant in Africa, located in Kenya.

“It is something that we can also use in Germany, and we will do so,” because this way of generating climate-friendly energy has a lot of potential, said the head of the German government.

The five power plants at Olkaria, on the edge of Hell’s Gate National Park, some 120 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, have an installed capacity of about 800 megawatts.

Geothermal plays a crucial role in energy production in Kenya. The country’s location in East Africa along the Rift Valley, a large geological fracture that formed when the Arabian plate broke away from the African plate, and the region’s volcanic activity offer the best conditions for this.

Germany has been promoting green energy projects in Kenya for more than 20 years, in particular through the state-owned development bank KfW and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

The European country also participated in the construction of the Olkaria geothermal power plant.

The President of Kenya, William Ruto, acknowledged yesterday Friday Germany’s support in the green energy sector: “The fact that 92 percent of electricity from renewable sources circulates through our network is due to the important contribution of German technology and investment”.

At the same time, Ruto called on German politicians to step up their efforts at the international level to ensure that industrialized countries invest more in green energy projects in the global south.