KenGen is inviting companies and consortia ready to develop, finance, build and operate a 140-MW geothermal plant in Nakuru to submit qualification information before Christmas. The request for qualification (RfQ), launched earlier this week, sets a submission deadline of December 23. The bidders shortlisted in the prequalification process will later be invited to submit their full proposals. The project will consist of a geothermal power plant with a net dispatch capacity of 140 MW near the existing Olkaria II facility, a Steam-field Above Ground System (SAGS), and grid interconnection facilities. The company that gets the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) project will be in charge of the plant's design, financing, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It will sell the power under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Kenya Power and Lighting Co, while KenGen will be responsible for providing steam under a separate 25-year contract.