Country Kenya Commission date 2000 Owner Ormat Technologies | Status Operational Nameplate capacity 139 MW | |
 | ||
Location Hell's Gate National Park Units operational 1 x 48 MW
1 x 36 MW
1 x 26 MW
1 x 29 MW | ||
The Olkaria III Geothermal Power Station, also known as the Olkaria III Geothermal Power Plant is the largest geothermal power plant in Kenya, having an installed electric capacity of 139 MW.
Contents
Location
The facility is located in Hell's Gate National Park, along with its sister stations, Olkaria I and Olkaria II. This location lies in Olkaria, in Nakuru County, on the eastern edge of the Eastern Rift Valley, approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi), by road, southwest of Naivasha, the nearest large town. Olkaria lies approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi), by road, northwest of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and the largest city in that country.
History
The Olkaria III Power Station first started operation in 2000, running one [Ormat] ORC power plant with a generation capacity of 13MW. In January 2009 new infrastructure was installed, adding another 35 megawatts to the plant's capacity. Later 36 Megawatts production capacity was installed. The third generation unit at Olkaria III, with capacity of 26 Megawatts was commissioned in 2014, bringing total capacity at the plant to 110 Megawatts. The fourth generation unit, with capacity of 29 Megawatts was commissioned in 2016, bringing total capacity at the plant to 139 Megawatts.
Ownership
Olkaria III Power Station is owned by Ormat Technologies Inc., a Reno, Nevada registered company, with production facilities in Yavne, Israel. According to Kenyan print media, Ormat Technologies Inc. sold 503 gigawatt hours (GWh) to Kenya Power, earning KES:3.89 billion (US$45 million), in the 12 months ending 30 June 2013.