You might be interested to learn that Unilever has put seventy million Kenyan shillings into a new solar array at its Nairobi factory and the system has been running since June of this year. The eight hundred kilowatt installation now covers roughly thirty percent of the plant's electricity needs and the company expects it to trim annual energy bills by about thirty million shillings. That investment translates to roughly five hundred forty thousand US dollars and the projected savings come to around two hundred thirty thousand US dollars each year.
Beyond the solar panels the factory also switched its boilers from heavy fuel oil to biomass earlier in the process and Unilever estimates that combined effort has cut carbon emissions by about forty percent compared to the twenty twenty three baseline. The company says this shift gives the operation more predictable energy costs and a more resilient manufacturing setup as part of a wider programme to raise renewable energy use across its plants and reduce dependence on conventional fuels.
João F. Ribeiro who leads the One Unilever Supply Chain told the gathering at the factory ceremony that investments like this make operations more resilient and more competitive while reducing reliance on conventional energy. He added that the Nairobi factory is an important part of their manufacturing footprint and this project shows how local action can contribute to wider climate ambitions. Elodie Kouassi who heads supply chain for East Africa excluding Ethiopia said the investment demonstrates that sustainability and strong business performance can advance together.
The event was attended by Luck Ochieng the Managing Director for Unilever East Africa along with Richard Bogita who heads supply chain for East and West Africa and members of the Business Operations Leadership Team. Looking ahead Unilever said the next stage of the factory's decarbonisation programme will move hot air generation from heavy fuel oil to biomass based fuels further cutting the use of fossil fuels. This investment comes as Kenya continues to expand its renewable energy capacity and shows how private sector spending can support the country's clean energy transition while improving the efficiency of local manufacturing.