The 10 tea factories in Murang’a will be connected with electricity generated from Metumi hydro power station, in efforts to reduce production cost.
The power generation plant producing 5.6 megawatts initiated by four tea factories, Kiru, Gatunguru, Kanyenya ini and Githambo will be extended to Kigumo, Kandara and Gatanga following a pact between Metumi Hydro electricity company the Aberdare Electric project.
Yesterday, Chairman of Metumi hydro Alex Macharia said the project was launched in 2019 with the connection of the four factories, where cost of production was reduced.
Macharia said signing of the pact allowed the contractor to extend the transmission lines from Githambo to Njunu tea factory which is the furthest in Gatanga sub county.
” We sell the excess power to Kenya Power and now we have a pact with tea processing factories in zone two who will be buying better,” said Macharia, also chairman of Kanyenya ini tea factory.
Aberdare Hydro Power Chairman Joe Mahugu said the pact to connect zone two with cheap electricity is a milestone worth celebration.
Speaking to The Standard, Mahugu said by November this year the erecting of the transmission lines will be completed.
“Aberdare hydro project stalled after much of the water from Maragua river was diverted to Northern Water Collector Tunnel (NWCT) for onward transmission to Nairobi,” said Mahugu, a director at Nduti tea factory.
Mahugu further explains that the six factories had set aside Sh300 million for the purpose of the connection with Metumi power.