The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is a wholly owned
parastatal of the
Government of Kenya
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of Kenya
, date = 1963
, jurisdiction = Republic of Kenya
, url = http://www.mygov.go.ke/
, legislature = Parliament of Kenya
, meeting_place = ...
. It is mandated to execute surface geothermal development, including prospecting for, drilling, harnessing and selling
geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pres ...
to electricity-generating companies for energy production and sale to the national grid.
Location
The headquarters of GDC are located in the capital city of
Nairobi, at Kawi House, in the neighborhood known as
South C.
Overview
The
country was heavily dependent on
hydroelectric energy from the time of independence until the early 2000s. Due to unpredictable rainfall patterns, the levels of the country's rivers fell and Kenya underwent a marked reduction in electricity output in the 2003 - 2006 time frame.
In an attempt to reduce the over-reliance on hydroelectric energy and its susceptibility to weather changes, GDC was formed in 2008 as a
Special Purpose Vehicle
A special-purpose entity (SPE; or, in Europe and India, special-purpose vehicle/SPV; or, in some cases in each EU jurisdiction, FVC, financial vehicle corporation) is a legal entity (usually a limited company of some type or, sometimes, a limited ...
to carry out rapid geothermal exploration and drilling in the country to enable the
Kenya Electricity Generating Company
Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC abbreviated to KenGen, is a government enterprise in the Republic of Kenya charged with the production of electricity for the country. KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating ...
and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to build power stations and not only diversify the national electricity grid,
but also to fulfil a pledge to install 5,000 MW of electricity in the country by the year 2030.
Outside development partners have offered help. GDC has plans to develop academic courses in geothermal energy at Kenyan universities, starting with courses at
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology.
Recent developments
In November 2015, seven senior managers' employment at GDC was terminated due to tendering irregularities. In August 2016, replacements for those terminated executives were advertised. In the 12 months ending 30 June 2015, the agency is reported to have made an after-tax profit of KES:1.6 billion (USD:16 million).
In 2020, a new CEO was appointed to head the organisation, replacing the previous one who served for one term.
See also
*
List of power stations in Kenya
*
Kenya Electricity Generating Company
Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC abbreviated to KenGen, is a government enterprise in the Republic of Kenya charged with the production of electricity for the country. KenGen is the largest electric power producer in Kenya, generating ...
*
Kenya Power and Lighting Company
Kenya Power and Lighting Company, commonly referred to as Kenya Power or shortened KPLC, is a public liability company which transmits, distributes and retails electricity to customers throughout Kenya.
Location
KPLC headquarters are at Stima P ...
*
Geothermal power in Kenya
Geothermal power is very cost-effective in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, East Africa. , Kenya has 690 MW of installed geothermal capacity. Kenya was the first African country to build geothermal energy sources. The Kenya Electricity Generating C ...
References
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External links
Website of Geothermal Development CompanyWebsite of the Ministry of Energy
Energy in Kenya
Economy of Kenya
Geography of Kenya
Nairobi