NAIROBI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's state-owned electricity generator said Thursday it has commenced drilling of the first of three geothermal wells in Djibouti setting in the contract it signed in February.

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) said the Djiboutian venture is part of the company's ambitious diversification strategy, in which the company is seeking to acquire new revenue streams by offering commercial drilling services, geothermal consulting and other related services across Africa.

"This is a historic moment for us and we are confident that our team on site will deliver the project within the contracted time and on budget despite the prevailing circumstances brought about by COVID-19 and security situation in neighboring Ethiopia," KenGen CEO, Rebecca Miano said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Miano said the drilling of the first well is expected to take about two months to complete as KenGen seeks to export the expertise and experience earned in Olkaria, Naivasha in Kenya where the company has successfully drilled about 320 geothermal wells.

She said with the drilling rig set up, KenGen is set to commence drilling of three geothermal wells for Djibouti Office of Geothermal Energy Development (ODDEG) over the next few months.

ODDEG Project Manager, Abdirasak Omar Moumin, said KenGen would deliver the project as planned, adding that the Djiboutian team was looking forward to acquiring new knowledge from the Kenyan firm.

"We are happy with KenGen and learning a lot from the team on the ground. They have a long history and expertise in geothermal which makes them the best partners in implementing our geothermal dream," said Moumin.

The statement comes after KenGen announced last week that it had completed drilling the deepest geothermal well in Ethiopia's Aluto-Langano project reaching a depth of 3,000 meters, surpassing a target of 2,750 meters.

Kenya is Africa's leading geothermal energy producer. - Xinhua