Nairobi. State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina Pertamina has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration aimed at developing geothermal power in Longonot, Kenya, alongside a local company.

Representatives from Pertamina's subsidiary, Pertamina Geothermal Energy, and Africa Geothermal International No 1 Ltd. (AGIL) inked the MoU in Nairobi on Sunday. This event coincided with the official visit of President Joko Widodo to the country.

The collaborative effort is focused on harnessing 140 megawatts of geothermal power capacity in the vicinity of Mount Longonot, which has a total capacity of 500 megawatts.

"Through this collaboration, we seize the opportunity to develop renewable energy and establish ourselves as a prominent global geothermal producer," Pertamina Geothermal Energy CEO Julfi Hadi said in a statement.

Julfi added that Kenya possesses the largest geothermal energy source in Africa, estimated at a substantial 865 megawatts.

In comparison, Indonesia boasts an estimated geothermal power capacity of 2,356 megawatts, placing it second globally, surpassed only by the United States. Pertamina currently directly manages 672 megawatts of this capacity.

The company has set a goal to elevate its capacity to 1 gigawatt within the next two years.

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