Firm invests $5m to increase power capacity in East Africa

TEMPORARY power supplier, Aggreko, said on Monday it has invested 5 million U.S. dollars in a bid to increase power capacity from 1000 MW to 1,500 MW in the East African region.The firm’s CEO, Rupert Soames, said currently, Kenya has a power generation capacity of 1,350 MW and seeks to increase it to 20,000 MW as envisaged in the East African nation’s Vision 2030 in the next two decades. “We have invested 5 million dollars in new fleet and this facility will act as our regional hub as we look to increase our capacity in the East African region to 1,500 MW in the next five years depending on the demand from corporate sector,” Soames said in Nairobi during a tour of its facility.The Aggreko Nairobi facility is the sixth service centre in the firm’s Southern and East African network and is the first operation to be based in East Africa. The firm said the facility is strategically located to support industrial users in and around Nairobi as well as shipping, mining, manufacturing and agricultural businesses operating throughout the country. “Kenya is a key strategic market for Aggreko. We take very seriously the development of our local Aggreko people. The long- term success of our business is directly linked to a highly capable and well trained Kenyan workforce,” said Martin Foster, Head of Local Business, South and East Africa.He said the global energy firm which provides turnkey temporary power and temperature control solutions to customers across a range of industries, is highly committed to hiring and training a strong local workforce to support the new facility. “At Aggreko we understand the needs of the utility sector. Our equipment and services have been developed to meet your needs for reliable and flexible power in the most cost-effective manner,” Foster said.Aggreko’s temperature control expertise helps industrial, mining, food and beverage and major events companies to cope with peak seasonal demands and provides emergency capacity when vital cooling infrastructure breaks down, Soames said.Since its creation over 45 years ago, Aggreko has become a world leading supplier of temporary power generation services.

National

Firm invests $5m to increase power capacity in East Africa