Kenya Breweries Limited turns to self-electricity generation to cushion against blackouts

East African Breweries Limited (EABL) subsidiary Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has sought regulatory approval for self-electricity generation.

A second subsidiary — East African Maltings Limited — has also sought for the approval from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) with the goal of addressing power disruptions.

“The purpose of the electric power generation is for own use as backup during power outages from the national electricity provider to ensure continuity of operations,” the pair of firms said in a statement of Monday.

East African Maltings is expected to set up a power generation plant at its plant located at the Nairobi Industrial area Kampala road whose total capacity is estimated at 2.2 megawatts (MW).

KBL will meanwhile set up two plants at its plants in Ruaraka and Kisumu whose power generation capacity stand at 9.3 and 2.4MW.

The request for the power generation licenses mirror the pursuit for alternative power sources by firms stifled by a combination of inefficient power supply from the national grid or high monthly bills.