Bidco Africa which is a manufacturer of edible oils, cooking fats, soaps, and detergents is planning to construct a 1.2MW solar plant in Thika, Africa in a bid to cut the energy costs in the region and shrink the company’s carbon footprint as emissions drop.
Bidco Chief Executive Office, Mr. Vimal Shah confirmed the news and said that the solar power project is a good development to work on, construction will commence in June this year with completion set for December.
“We will start working on the development in June and take six months to complete, we have plenty of rooftop space available and this project can put our energy situation in our own hands at an affordable price, which is a fantastic position to be in,” Mr. Shah said.
The solar plant which will be developed by Astonfield Solar is priced at between US$ 0.06 and US$ 0.07 per kilowatt hour (kWh) will be for Bidco’s exclusive use and at US$0.07 the solar plant’s electricity will be about the same price as geothermal energy and about three times cheaper than power generated from diesel.
Bidco Africa now joins big companies like Centum Investment which is also constructing a 2MW solar plant that is intended to power its Two Rivers Development which is a real estate project in Nairobi that is designed to house the largest shopping mall in the East and Central Africa.
Last year, Garden City Mall on Nairobi’s Thika Road launched a one of a kind solar carport that generates part of the electricity consumed at the shopping complex. Furthermore, Strathmore University has installed a 0.6MW solar panel.
Astonfield is a leading provider of renewable energy in emerging markets with solar plants operating across India. It delivers affordable clean energy solutions tailored to the unique needs of local communities and it is committed to addressing the challenges of sustainable development in emerging markets.
