Eni CEO Meets Kenyan President in Nairobi

Eni’s agribusiness activities and the company’s decarbonization initiatives in Kenya were the topic of discussion at the meeting between CEO Claudio Descalzi and the country’s president Samoei Ruto. The meeting was also attended by cabinet secretary for Energy and Oil Davis Chirchir.

Eni said in its statement that Descalzi and the delegation illustrated to president Ruto the results of the project for the production of vegetable oil for biorefining, which the company launched in the country in 2022.

Based on an integrated supply chain model, the project leverages marginal or degraded land and crops that do not compete with the food supply chain, the statement reads. The first processing plant (or agri-hub) in Makueni county, has a capacity of 15,000 tons/year and its production of vegetable oil is already feeding the Gela refinery, in Italy. Eni said that the second agri-hub will be launched in the second half of 2023, and others in the following years, to reach a production target of 200,000 tons by 2026.

The social impacts are particularly relevant, Eni said, noting that 40,000 farmers have been involved to date for the production of oilseeds, to which another 40,000 will be added by the end of the year, with a projection of around 200,000 by 2026.

The agri-hub currently employs more than 100 resources directly, which will exceed 500 when the other agri-hubs are completed. Furthermore, 2,000 tons of animal feed for local consumption were obtained as a by-product of the oilseeds, the statement reads.

Descalzi also shared with President Ruto the Waste & Residue initiatives, also to provide feedstock for biorefining. The collection and export of used cooking oil began in 2022 and today involves over 400 suppliers, according to Eni.

The model has already been extended to other African countries, contributing to integrate the continent into the sustainable mobility value chain. Descalzi and President Ruto also discussed further initiatives in the areas of e-mobility and renewable energy. Specific focus was given to solar, wind and geothermal energy while there was also talk about waste to energy. These programs will be finalized in the next months, Eni said.

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