Kenya’s heavy reliance on hydroelectricity production has made the country vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as drought and erratic rainfall patterns. According to this ‘Inside story on climate compatible development’ by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, Kenya needs to develop a more resilient and stable supply of electricity, while rapidly developing its base load of electricity production to meet growing demand. Geothermal energy plays a critical role in this, which is also noted in Kenya’s Vision 2030 strategy. The brief highlights how Kenya has catalysed a productive geothermal sector by establishing a specialist government institution, the Geothermal Development Company, which shoulders some of the financial risk for the private sector at exploration, appraisal and drilling stages.
This summary was prepared by Eldis.
This inside story, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) to accelerate geothermal power: Lessons from Kenya, looks at the Government of Kenya’s ambitions to significantly expand its power supply from geothermal sources to underpin low-carbon, climate resilient development, as encapsulat
Countries pursuing low-emission development strategies (LEDS) aim to grow their economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing resilience to climate change impacts, and achieving social development and environmental goals.
This policy briefing summarises priorities for devolved strategic planning for water, energy and climate change in arid environments, identified through local-level consultations in Isiolo County, Kenya.
Several different approaches to scenario assessment were used to provide the evidence base for prioritising low-carbon actions as part of Kenya’s National Climate Change Action Plan and its emerging green economy strategy.