Beijing’s push for renewable energy projects across Africa has been highlighted at a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of a new Chinese-led geothermal power plant project to be built in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.

State-owned energy and construction company PowerChina will build the 35-megawatt Orpower 22 geothermal plant at the Menengai Crater, with the facility owned by Chinese firm Kaishan Group, which is spending US$93 million on the construction.

During the ceremony, President William Ruto said the plant will raise the country’s global ranking in geothermal production to fifth overall, and “highlights our commitment to unlock Kenya’s vast geothermal potential to drive economic growth”.

Kenya was the first African nation to harness geothermal power, which uses heat from the Earth to generate electricity, but Ruto said just 10 per cent of the country’s geothermal energy has been explored.

Last year, PowerChina commissioned another 35MW geothermal power plant in Kenya, owned by Sosian Geothermal Power Station. It followed a 14-year contract between China’s Kaishan Group and Kenya’s Sosian Energy to run the geothermal plant before handing it back to Sosian after its investment has been recouped.

The Kenyan power plants represent a growing footprint of Chinese-built or funded renewable energy projects in Africa – from solar and wind to hydropower projects. It follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2021 pledge to stop financing new overseas coal-fired power plants and increase funding for renewable projects instead.

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