Great concept report on Geothermal Milk Processing in Kenya
Menengai Crater, Kenya (source: flickr/ meaduva, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
7 Eyl 2015
A great report prepared for USAID, provides details on a pre-feasibility study done on geothermal milk pasteurization and processing at Menengai in Kenya.
Today, we stumbled up on a great report on the pre-feasibility study on Geo-Mega Dairy (GMD), Geothermal Milk Processing, written by external consultants for USAID and the Kenya Geothermal Development Company (GDC).
The study presents the results of pre-feasibility assessment of the technical, financial, and logistical viability of a geothermal-powered dairy processing plant in Kenya, where geothermal heat could be used for a range of process heat and cooling needs common to dairies, with the possible option of geothermal power generation to meet the electric power needs of a dairy.
The dairy pre-feasibility study team researched and considered key factors including:
- Co-location or proximity of developed or known geothermal resources to areas with significant milk production;
- Technical availability and the expected cost of geothermal energy delivered to one or more dairy (or dairy processing) plant sites compared to the cost of energy at existing dairies in Kenya;
- Availability and expected cost of locallyproduced raw milk sold to the dairy processing plant;
- Market outlook for the range of processed dairy products which could be produced at the plant, including domestic and export markets;
- Technical feasibility of the use of geothermal heat, and possibly geothermal electric power, in the proposed dairy processing plant; and
- Financial and Economic viability of a geothermal powered dairy in Kenya.
The study looks at the Menengai Geothermal field and its dairy project, which we reported on last week.
It provides a schematic overview showing the cascaded use from power generation to food processing and refrigeration to apartment buildings, greenhouses and fish farms. It not only looks at the economics but also the market potential.
A great study and worth reading.
The report can be found here via the website of Land O’ Lakes (pdf) consultancy.
