NAIROBI (CU)_The agricultural sector dominates Kenya’s economy, accounting for 40 per cent of the overall workforce and about 25 per cent of the country’s GDP. Over the recent past, almost every industry across economies, including the agricultural sector have begun reforming their operations in order to reduce emissions and boost a sustainable economic growth. And in a major step to assist Kenya in its transition to a greener future, Italian consortium Maire Tecnimont SPA has initiated a project to build a renewable power-to-fertiliser factory in the city of Nakuru.
Accordingly, the Sh32 billion ($300 million) plant will be developed by Maire Tecnimont’s subsidies, MET Development, Stamicarbon and NextChem, in partnership with local farming expert Oserian Development Company. The factory, which is expected to produce about 550 tonnes of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate and other fertilisers, is scheduled to be developed by 2025, with the aim of addressing the perpetual shortage of farm input and taming their high prices in the local market. The new fertiliser factory will be developed in the 7,500-hectare mixed-use development zone, known as Oserian Two Lakes, which comprises of residential, tourism, industry and commerce and wildlife conservation.
“We’re very pleased to announce the start of this exciting project, thanks to the collaboration with a pioneering player such as Oserian Development Company,” Maire Tecnimont Group Chief Executive Pierroberto Folgiero told The Nation last week. “With this strategic initiative we aim to unlock the potential of decarbonising the fertiliser industry using renewable energy as a feedstock.”
Supporting Kenya’s low carbon, sustainable growth is one of the key objectives of the initiative and therefore, the plant will be partly powered by solar energy which is produced on-site, thereby eliminating the need for fossil fuels. This is expected to reduce the factory’s carbon emissions by about 100,000 tonnes per year, in comparison to any other gas-based fertiliser plant. The project will also support the broader economy by generating over 100 jobs in the region.
