Nairobi, 4 July 2022 – An information-sharing event was organized by the Government of Kenya to launch the “Code of practice for farm and industrial scale biogas systems” –  the first national Biogas Standards for farm and industrial scale[1] developed within the framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) project “Sustainable conversion of waste into clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Kenya”, which is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The code of practice was officially endorsed in April 2022[2].

“UNIDO has greatly contributed to the development of Kenya’s agro-processing industry, including through the reduction of the greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and carbon dioxide, that contributes to achieving the country’s NDC objectives”, said Paul Mbuthi from the Kenyan Ministry of Energy. “The GEF-funded UNIDO project is further helping Kenya respond to the mitigation aspects required within the framework of the Paris Agreement”

The new standards provide a clear, harmonized, agreed and documented guidance on the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of farm and industrial scale anaerobic biogas systems.

“When the project was initiated in 2015, there were no applicable standards for Kenya’s industrial and commercial biogas sector”, said Alex Mboa from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). “UNIDO identified a gap in farm and industrial scale standards in the country and they approached KEBS and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to develop and enforce these new standards”.

“With the growing development of biogas plants, it becomes increasingly important to establish technical standards to support their overall development”, said Frank Hofmann from the German Biogas Association (Fachverband Biogas), who provided expert’s advice and support during the standards’ development. “The now-published Kenyan standards help to ensure technically reliable, safe and environmentally-friendly biogas installations”.

Overall, the UNIDO project provides opportune support to the Kenyan government in creating a favorable business environment to further scale-up biogas technology while advancing climate actions in the country.

For more information, please contact:

Naoki Torii, UNIDO Project Manager

Email: n.torii@unido.org 

[1] KS 2951:2022 Kenya Standard - Biogas systems - code of practice for farm and industrial scale biogas systems.

[2] The Kenya Gazette, Vol.CXXXIV-No.87 of 13 May 2022.