Kenya Tea Development Authority to harness hydroelectric power

April 25, 2012

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The Kenya Tea Development Authority plans to build a 400-million-shilling ($4.8-million) hydroelectric power plant for three factories in Embu County, board member Samuel Murithi Ireri announced on Tuesday (April 24th).

Using hydropower harnessed from the Thuci River will save factories more than 54 million shillings ($65,000) in electricity bills annually, as well as generate revenue by selling electricity to the national grid, Ireri said at the launch of a tree-planting week in Mount Kenya.

It will also cut down on the use of firewood and reduce demand for logging in Kenyan forests, he said. "We do not want to rely on farmers for firewood. We want to ensure the current forest cover is retained or increased," he said. Area farmers intend to plant more than 450,000 trees this season to restore losses from recent wildfires, he said.

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