Sh12 billion invested in a biofuel complex in Bungoma

Last Updated 15 years ago by Kenya Engineer

Futile plans to produce bio-fuel through the jatropha plant have seen the country turn to other means of producing the bio-fuel.A Kenyan company,Webco has turned to ethanol for bio-fuel production. It plans to invest Sh12 billion in building of a bio-fuel complex for production of fuel ethanol from tropical sugar beet in Bungoma.

The ethanol fuel will replace the jatropha plant which had been grown in some parts of the country as a weed until the year 2000 when the government preached of the bio-fuel benefits of the jatropha seeds and farmers started farming the plant. This however did not go on for long since it faced a lot of resistance from environmentalists due to the environmental disorder that the plant could have caused. It was argued that the plant which thrives well in arable lands could have used up a lot of land which instead would have been used for agriculture.

 
Webco  which is being funded by investors from Britain, China and Qatar together with commercial banks like Bank of Africa and Equity Bank will blend the ethanol with petrol for road transport use. The fuel ethanol will then be sold in bulk to Kenol Kobil and National Oil Cooperation for blending and distribution. Although the company will produce fuel ethanol as the main product, other products like biogas and liquid carbon dioxide will also be produced.

Farmers from the area have already signed letters of intent to sell their land for construction to commence and according to Mr Pius Wanyama, the company’s president, farmers who have agreed to be moved will be paid Sh800,000 for an acre of land. Most farmers in the area rely on sugarcane as the main cash crop, which matures within 18 months. “A total of 521 farmers with 14,798.8 hectares of land are willing to participate in growing sugar beet,” said Mr Pius Wanyama, the company’s president.
Speaking during a visit to farmers who have been contracted to grow the crop, Mr Wanyama said “research for the production of tropical sugar beet to be processed to produce fuel ethanol and its core products has been concluded.”

Bio ethanol can be produced from several materials among them sugarcane, sugar beet, molasses, maize and other grains. Construction commencing immediately. The first trail run is expected early next year.

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