Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. has announced that its subsidiaries MET Development, Stamicarbon and NextChem have started work on a fertiliser plant in Kenya, which will be partly powered by solar energy
MET Development has signed an agreement with Oserian Development Company for the development of the plant at the Oserian Two lakes Industrial Park, located on the southern banks of Lake Naivasha, 100 km north of Nairobi.
The plant will be located near the country's largest geothermal energy basin. The solar energy to be used for the plant will be produced on-site, displacing the need for fossil fuels and reducing approximately 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emission per annum, compared to a gas-based fertiliser plant.
The project will utilise approximately 70 MW of renewable power, and will mark the beginning for local production of Kenyan fertiliser. The project will reduce the dependence on imported nitrogen fertilisers and substitute by 25%, with the total being 800 kt/a. It is expected to generate more than a hundred jobs in the region, while supporting the broader economy and the farmers.
Maire Tecnimont Group's Stamicarbon, the innovation and license company which specialises in designing fertiliser plants, will lend its Stami Green Ammonia Technology and its Nitric Acid technology to the project, as an integrated technology package, for manufacturing ammonia and nitrate fertiliser respectively. The technology configuration is characterised by a modularised approach, and ideal for small scale facilities. Although based on proven technology, it will be the first of its kind.
The project has started preliminary engineering works, and NextChem aims to start the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) by the end of 2021. The commercial operation of the plant, dedicated to local Kenyan agribusiness, is expected to begin in 2025.
Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group commented: "We are pleased to announce the start of this exciting project with a pioneering player such as Oserian Development Company. With this strategic initiative we aim to unlock the potential of decarbonising the fertiliser industry using renewable energy as a feedstock. With this first very promising initiative we confirm our expertise in project development in green energy, by acting as an end-to-end developer and technological integrator capable of connecting the key factors which are necessary to industrialise the green economy globally."
