Companies

Unilever seeks licence to upgrade power plants

TeaClimate5

A tea farm in Kericho. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Unilever Tea Kenya Limited is seeking regulatory approvals to generate, transmit and supply power for its tea estates in West Kenya.

The company said in a statement published on a local daily that it will make a licence application to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on 8 February 2022.

The project, which will be implemented in Kericho and Bomet, will see the current Kimugu and Jamji Power stations upgraded.

“Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 119 of the Energy Act, 2019 that Unilever Tea Kenya Plc... Kericho intends to apply for a licence for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical energy for use within its estate in the West Kenya area that encompasses Kericho and Bomet," the company said on Monday

The power will be generated from existing power stations to be upgraded at Kimugu and Jamji Power stations located 10Km North-East and 20Km South-West of Kericho town respectively.  

The application comes at a time when local firms are shifting to own-power sources to boost efficiency on their plantations amid frequent outages.

Firms argue that unrelenting power blackouts have raised operating costs at some of their tea processing plants. 

Unilever will be joining other companies like Kapa Oil Refineries, Oserian Flowers, Africa Logistics Properties (ALP), London Distillers, Garden City, and Strathmore University.