05 November 2014, Nairobi – THE Sh1.3 billion Gura Hydro Power, is an initiative of four tea factories in Nyeri county will be completed by June next year. Kenya Tea Development Agency board chairman Peter Kanyago said the power project will be operational by mid-next year.
“It will enable factories to diversify their revenue sources,” he said. The project of under Gathuthi, Gitugi, Iria-ini, Chinga tea factories in the county started in December 2012, and will generate six Mega Watts of electricity The contract is undertaken by the VS Holdings of Sri Lanka.
“The four factories will only use 2.8 megawatts and the rest will be sold to the national grid. We can also think of providing power to the nearest tea factories in Murang’a county,” Kanyago said.
This will reduce the high cost of electricity to the benefit of farmers, he said. Kanyago was speaking to the press at Chinga Tea Factory in Othaya constituency on Monday.
Each factory will save about Sh40 million every year on electricity costs. “This is a strategy meant to mitigate the rising costs of production particularly in labour and electricity as the per-kilo cost of processed tea keeps rising over the years,” Kanyago said.
*Wambugu Kanyi – the Star
