- Wrapping up his three-day trip to Africa, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has voiced support for significantly greater use of geothermal heat as a source of energy in Germany.
- “Geothermal energy is possible in far more places in Germany than many people think today,” he said on Saturday during a visit to Africa’s largest geothermal plant in Kenya where he committed to supporting expansion in that country.
It is also believed to have very great potential in Germany, he added. That is why all geodata and information are now being collected “so that there is growing courage” to exploit these energy sources, some of which lie kilometres deep in the earth.
After a brief visit to Ethiopia, Scholz had already arrived in Kenya on Thursday evening. The visit to the geothermal plant in Olkaria, around 120 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, was his last stop before flying back to Berlin. The five power plants at the edge of the Hell’s Gate National Park produce nearly half of the electricity consumed in Kenya.
Germany has committed to provide both funding and technical support for the planned capacity expansion of the Olkaria geothermal site in Kenya. The announcement of support was announced at a media briefing following bilateral talks between Chancellor Scholz and Kenyan President William Ruto.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
