Bank in deal to produce green energy

Help Self Help Centre (HSHC) has partnered with World Bank’s Africa energy unit to start a bio-diesel production project at Naro Moru in central Kenya.

The bank’s senior energy specialist Waqar Haider said the croton tree once perceived to be of little economic value, bears inedible seeds that are pressed to produce bio-diesel which is a green environmental friendly fuel.

He said the project which aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels has made strides in organising the process of producing bio-diesel at the farmer level and sale of the commodity to consumers at competitive price.

Mr Haider said HSHC which is a non-governmental organisation has organised farmers and harvesters, many of them women, to deliver seeds produced by the croton tree to collection centres for preparation for sale.

“At the centres, manual and machine de-husking is done. The seeds are washed before being used as feed stock for bio-diesel production,” said Mr Haider.

The process is expected to help double Naro Moru’s bio-diesel production from the current 400 litres to 800 litres by 2012.

This comes at a time when Green Africa Foundation is running a project using Jatropha curcas tree whose seeds are processed to produce bio-diesel.

Foundation chairman Isaac Kalua said Kenya’s intensive dependence on imported petroleum-based fuels may be reduced if the country scales up biodiesel production projects.

“Jatropha tree contributes to the afforestation of a country like Kenya whose forest cover has dropped from recommended 10 per cent to 1.7 per cent. Production of seeds for biofuel is an added advantage,” he said.