This archive report was first published on 21 September 2021.
Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has announced a Sh22 billion investment plan to modernize its Nairobi and Kisumu production lines, with the goal of becoming fully green by 2030.
According to KBL Managing Director John Musunga, the investment will include the installation of solar energy at all their sites, reducing reliance on Kenya Power and enabling the company to become an independent power producer within the next nine years.
"This is already being partly implemented in our Kisumu plant, with 10 percent of our current electricity requirements being met by renewable energy from solar. We are committed to sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 in all of our facilities," he said in their annual sustainability report released on Friday, September 17, 2021.
The investment will also finance the production of biofuels, which will reduce carbon emissions by 95 percent and create over 900 direct and indirect jobs, particularly with local farmers providing the biomass fuel.
At the Ruaraka plant, KBL plans to generate at least 9.3 megawatts of solar power, while in Kisumu, the company aims to produce 2.4 megawatts of solar power.
Additionally, KBL has invested in a water treatment facility that enables the company to treat three million litres of water a day before releasing it into the Nairobi River.
Furthermore, the company has invested Sh4 billion in a water recovery plant in the Kisumu plant, which treats 50 percent of wastewater and reuses it at the refurbished Senator Keg plant, reducing reliance on freshwater from Lake Victoria.
As part of its conservation efforts, KBL has planted over 1.3 million trees across the country.
