Italian fertilisation plants to raise agricultural production standards and reduce costs and carbon emissions in the Naivasha area.
The Italian company Maire Tecnimont SPA has recently started the construction of a plant worth about 300 million dollars in Kenya.
The consortium, through its subsidiaries - MET Development, Stamicarbon and NextChem - relies on renewable energies, with a view to sustainable development in collaboration with Oserian Development Company (ODC), in the Oserian Two Lakes Industrial Park, an area of 150 hectares in Nakuru County, as reported by the Kenyan economic newspaper Business Daily.
The industrial park will be the main hub of a 7,500-hectare mixed-use development that will include horticulture, industry and commerce, residential and tourism development and a nature reserve.
"We are very pleased to announce the start of this exciting project through collaboration with a pioneer like the Oserian Development Company," Maire Tecnimont Group CEO Pierroberto Folgiero told Business Daily. "With this strategic initiative we aim to unlock the decarbonisation potential of the fertiliser industry by using renewable energy as a feedstock.
The plant will support Kenya's aspirations to lower carbon levels in its industry growth programme, increase agricultural production and support smallholder farmers and local communities.
The plant will be located near the country's largest geothermal energy reservoir and will also be partially powered by solar energy produced on site, replacing the need for fossil fuels. The facility will reduce carbon emissions by about 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, compared to a gas-based fertiliser plant.
The Italian company aims to produce 550 tonnes per day of calcium ammonium nitrate and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilisers, with commercial operation of the plant expected to begin in 2025. 
"Our ambition is not only to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to provide the international industrial system with a portfolio of technologies that can enable the energy transition, supporting our customers in developing increasingly sustainable and low-carbon plant solutions." reads the Maire Tecnimont Group website.