Energy Development Corp(EDC) a pioneer in the geothermal energy industry in Philippines, has set its eyes on Kenya upon announcing its plan to expand. It is a listed company with over 35 years experience of technical expertise in the field and will look to study the local setting before setting  offices. Such have already been set up in Chile and Indonesia, and a base in Peru is in the making. Talks with the Chilean President, Sebastian Pinera, have been successful and the company  has been awarded 3 exploration concessions by the Chilean Ministry of Energy. Kenya is also among the four countries that EDC is planning on exploring.

“The company has a pending application for Preliminary Survey rights in Indonesia and is looking to develop geothermal projects in Peru and Kenya,” the firm said.

Partaking in geothermal projects requires financial resources and time. In terms of cost, geothermal's is the most cost effective with an estimate of USD 6.4 (KES  547.6) per Kilowatt-hour compared to that of hydro which has an estimate of US$12.5 (KES 1050) per Kilowatt-hour. The potential for the country lies at 7000Mw yet we produce 209Mw at Olkaria and 2.5Mw at Eburru. This implies that geothermal energy is not explored enough, with our potential being over 30 times what we currently produce. Kenya is currently trying to develop its human capacity and is being helped in geothermal exploration by regional development agencies such as GAK (Geothermal Association of Kenya) and UNEP.

The 4th African Rift Geothermal Conference is going to be held from 21-23 November, 2012.