Energy generation from geothermal plants owned by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen) is going strong. The 2010 expansion of the Olkaria II Geothermal Plant included construction of a third generator, increasing generation at the facility by 35 megawatts. The increase in generation contributes approximately 276 gigawatt-hours annually to Kenya’s national grid and reduces the equivalent of 149,632 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year that would otherwise be emitted by fossil-fuel-based power plants.

The expansion project is earning carbon credits under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Clean Development Mechanism; the World Bank’s Community Development Carbon Fund is purchasing around 480,000 carbon credits under the project. As of April 2015, the project had issued 230,901 carbon credits.

In efforts to improve the livelihood of communities living close to the geothermal plant, KenGen is currently using part of the revenue from the carbon credits to finance a community benefit plan. The plan addresses priority community needs including access to water, improving school facilities, improving roads, and providing employment for local youth.

Stay tuned for more updates from Kenya!