Mumias resumes power generation from cane waste

Mumias Sugar company Managing Director Nashon Aseka. [Photo by Benjamin Sakwa/Standard]

Mumias has resumed generating electricity using sugarcane waste, commonly known as bagasse.

Speaking to The Standard at the factory, the sugar miller’s Managing Director Nashon Aseka said they utilise the waste product to produce power, besides heating boilers when processing sugar.

“We have a power plant designed to produce electricity on large scale. The electricity we produce runs our machines while the surplus is sold to the national grid,” Mr Aseka said.

He said they produce 34 megawatts of electricity but the factory consumes about 12 megawatts. Aseka said the plant resumed operations after it stalled three years ago. He said they produce between 14-16 megawatts of electricity due to drought being experienced in the area.

“Turkwel, Kindaruma and Sondu Miriu power stations only contribute to the southern and eastern grid, leaving us in a crisis of frequent power blackouts. The plant is now serving the western grid and power outages are now a thing of the past,” he said. “The project will reduce electricity costs and at the same time generate alternative revenue to finance the company’s operations.”

Mumias Sugar also produces 800 litres of ethanol per day which goes at Sh100 per litre. Aseka said they already have 1.2 million litres of ethanol in their store, which is yet to be sold.

The firm also runs a water bottling plant. “The bottled water plant that has been idle for three years has started operating. It produces about 20 million litres annually. Earnings from the project will be used to cushion the company when the business slows down,” he said.

Elsewhere, Butali Sugar Company is constructing a baggase paper milling plant at a cost of $15 million (Sh1.5 billion), according to the firm’s finance manager Dan Kiyondi.