Olkaria I is a 185 MW geothermal power station in Nakuru, Kenya. It is operated by Kenya Electric Generating Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 347k homes (estimated). It ranks #8 of 34 Kenya power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 45.9% of Kenya's electricity; the national grid averages 95 gCO₂/kWh (90.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061218.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 185 MW, Olkaria I is well above the median geothermal plant in Kenya (140 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Kenya geothermal capacity
- 24.5% of 754 MW across 6 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 0 of 6 dated geothermal plants in Kenya are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest geothermal plants in Kenya
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Kenya Electric Generating Company. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 0.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 79% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #1 largest geothermal power plant of 6 in Kenya by capacity.
Kenya has 6 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 754 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Olkaria I units 4 & 5 · Geothermal · 140 MW · Nakuru
- Olkaria III (Orpower 4) · Geothermal · 139 MW · Nakuru
- Olkaria II · Geothermal · 105 MW · Nakuru
- Olkaria IV · Geothermal · 140 MW · Nakuru
- Olkaria I · Geothermal · 45 MW · Nakuru
- Ngong · Wind · 36.5 MW · Kajiado
Location
Coordinates -0.8933, 36.3086 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Olkaria I?
Olkaria I is a 185 MW geothermal power plant in Nakuru, Kenya, commissioned in 1981.
Who operates Olkaria I?
Olkaria I is operated by Kenya Electric Generating Company.