Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has invited bids from developers to design and construct two geothermal power plants that have a combined generation capacity of 210MW.

Both the projects, the 140MW Olkaria V power plant and the 70MW plant in Olkaria I unit 6, will be built at the steam-filled Olkaria field site, Reuters reported.

KenGen is 70% state-owned and plans to build the 140MW facility first, which it is presently seeking funds for from development institutions.

Kenya has ample geothermal energy resources in the Rift Valley region, which it intends to utilise to reduce tariff rates for power.

By 2030, the country will have a requirement of surplus 15,000MW energy, which it intends to derive from geothermal and other renewable sources.

The east African country wants to raise its power generation capacity by 5,000MW from the present 1,664MW by 2017.

Kenya, the first African country to tap geothermal power, has the capability to produce 7,000MW of it.

It aims to produce 5,000MW of electricity from geothermal sources by 2030.