Cases / Data centre · Kenya · 2026
Kenya suspends Microsoft and G42 geothermal data centre plan at Naivasha
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Kenya suspended a planned geothermal-powered data centre by Microsoft and G42 at Naivasha, reported in May 2026. Local herders said they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies, and the sources reviewed do not state the water volumes involved.
What?
Kenya suspended plans for a geothermal-powered data centre by Microsoft and G42 that was planned to scale up to 1 GW. ThinkGeoEnergy
Where?
Naivasha, Kenya ThinkGeoEnergy
When?
May 2026 (suspension) ThinkGeoEnergy
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
None on recordHarmed
- Herders in Naivasha — Said they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies Al Jazeera
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
The data centre was planned to run on geothermal power; the sources reviewed do not state its water use. ThinkGeoEnergy
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
ThinkGeoEnergy reported in May 2026 that Kenya had suspended plans for a Microsoft and G42 geothermal-powered data centre, which was planned to scale up to 1 GW.
Al Jazeera reported in August 2026 that the companies had not disclosed how much water they use at Naivasha.
Al Jazeera quoted herders saying they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: the reason Kenya gave for the suspension.
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: the water volumes the data centre would use, or the water used before suspension.
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: whether the suspension is permanent.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers
Press and investigations
- Kenya suspends plans for Microsoft's geothermal-powered data centreThinkGeoEnergy · 2026-05-08
- Can Kenya's AI ambitions coexist with Naivasha's water needs?Al Jazeera · 2026-08-24
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