Kenya and France sign cooperation agreement to boost geothermal in East Africa
Signing of cooperation agreement between the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the French Development Agency (source: AFD via LinkedIn)
Carlo Cariaga
9 Sep 2025
A cooperation agreement will combine the deep geothermal knowledge of Kenya and direct use expertise of France to accelerate geothermal energy in East Africa.
The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Kenya and the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement / AFD) have signed a cooperation agreement that aims to accelerate the development of geothermal resources in East Africa. The agreement encompasses a cooperation project between France and the Eastern African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The agreement seeks to combine the expertise of Kenya in deep geothermal power generation and the French expertise in direct geothermal heat applications. Through these complementary sets of expertise, the initiative aims to help develop the geothermal potential in the region, particularly in Tanzania and Uganda, before expanding to other territories. This partnership is also intended to be a model of mutually beneficial South–South–North cooperation, creating shared value for all stakeholders.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials, including Mr. Alex Wachira, Principal Secretary of the Department of State for Energy, HE Arnaud Suquet, Ambassador of France to Kenya, and Ms. Sandra Kassab, AFD Africa Director.
“France, a long-standing and leading bilateral partner in Kenya’s energy transition, is committed to leveraging the country’s world-class geothermal expertise and contributing to its vision of a 100% renewable energy mix and universal access to energy by 2030,” said Ambassador Suquet.
“This agreement will strengthen regional cooperation to accelerate the use of geothermal energy, thereby stimulating sustainable and resilient economic growth,” added Mr. Alex Wachira, Principal Secretary of Kenya’s Department of State for Energy.
Kenya is already one of the global leaders in geothermal power generation, with an installed capacity close to 1 GW as of the end of 2024. However, geothermal developers in Kenya have also started exploring economical applications of heat from geothermal brine such as milk pasteurization, heating for flower farms, and the popular Olkaria geothermal spa. Such industries can broaden the spectrum of geothermal resource utilization, allowing for more diversified revenue streams aside from, or on top of, electricity generation.
Source: French Development Agency
