Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) says its energy management measures have saved it about Ksh70 million in the last year alone. At a meeting with the Energy and Water ministries and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) on July 12th, KBL Managing Director Jane Karuku said the company had reduced energy use by 8% in spite of volume growth, saving 15 million Kilowatts (KW).
The company’s sustainability strategy also cut water usage by 4%, saving over 67 million litres of water over the past year.
The meeting, which involved a visit to KBL’s Tusker brewery in Ruaraka, was set up by KAM in recognition of KBL’s win in this year’s Energy Management Awards.
“Our goal is to achieve manufacturing excellence driven by a manufacturing management system that focuses on performance management, standards implementation and capability building,” said KBL Corporate Relations Director Eric Kiniti. “Within Diageo, KBL continues to hold the first position on energy use efficiency in litre per litre of beer produced.”
In addition, it is ranked top 5 of the global beer sites in delivering efficiencies on water and energy used per litre of beer produced. KBL commands a huge energy footprint which, he said, informs the site on the strategic choices on how it uses energy and measures to take to achieve energy use reduction aimed at improving sustainability.
Principal Secretary State Department of Energy Dr Eng. Joseph Njoroge said energy is a significant enabler for achieving the Big 4 Agenda especially in the manufacturing.
“We have prioritized manufacturing in our Big Four agenda and are committed to support the sector’s grow in an efficient and sustainable manner as well as increase its contribution to GDP to 15 percent, therefore leading to job creation and social economic development. We are also committed to support the sector with policy and regulatory network for an enabling and competitive business environment,” said Dr Joseph Njoroge.
KAM CEO Phyllis Wakiaga said to fully realize the impact of sustainability agenda, sustainable manufacturing will be driven by knowledge sharing between industry players.
[ READ: Young men and women crack their brains to get high Tusker Lager promo ]
“It is estimated that industries that have participated in the Energy Management Awards, have a combined energy savings worth Ksh13.7 billion over the last 15 years, with the potential cost savings of up to Ksh419.5 million. Energy cost and availability have always been central to industrial growth and consequently, sustained economic development for many countries around the world,” said Ms Wakiaga.
The delegation that attended the forum also included representatives from the Ministry of Energy, KenGen, Kenya Power, Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ministry of Water and Sanitation and the Danish International Development Agency.
[ NEXT: End of the road for head of Indian Gang at Nation Digital ]
