Tata Chemicals champions climate action
Environment & Climate
By
Peterson Githaiga
| Jun 17, 2025
With climate change becoming more intense and a major global challenge, Tata Chemicals Magadi Company in Kajiado County has embarked on an ambitious project to transition from fossil fuels to green energy in order to reduce production costs and enhance sustainability.
The multinational soda ash company is making significant investments in environmentally friendly technologies and aims to produce carbon-neutral trona and soda ash products.
The project is linked to the expansion and upgrade of Tata Chemicals' trona soda ash manufacturing plant, increasing production from 300,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes annually.
According to Joseph Kombo, who is in charge of projects, the two-phase mega solar production plant targets to produce 10 Megawatts after completion.
''The first phase will be producing five megawatts and will be commissioned next month, July 2025, while the second one, producing an extra five megawatts assembling will commence immediately after the commissioning of the first phase,'' said Kombo.
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Speaking during a tour to the solar power plant at Magadi town on Tuesday, Kombo said the local community has been involved in this major plant assembly targeting to tap the sun's energy that is readily available in the region, considering the Magadi region enjoys scorching sun and excruciating heat.
''We have undertaken an approach to balance the growth strategies and business expansion with the impact on the planet and society. We have committed to reduce our carbon footprint as per the Science Based Target initiatives (SBTi) guidelines by 30 per cent by 2030,'' said Kombo.
The company structure during the night. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]
Kombo said that the solar plant power is estimated to cost between 5-6 US cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh from the National grid, 18-19 US cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), saving the company a fortune.
''This has been a journey and as a company we are happy that we are get very close, we plan to inject solar power which will reduce our reliance on the Kenya Power grid, the power cost will be significant reduced as we think about expansion and also increasing our capacity power cost is a critical component'' added Kombo.
Stephen Okiri, head of Business excellence in the company, said they had remained the biggest consumer of fossil fuel in the country; however, we are now rooting to reduce the reliance on the National grid, saving significant cost in production.
The company structure during the night. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]
''What we are doing is changing the technology from fossil fuels to solar-powered electrical systems. By doing that, we are eliminating fossil fuels in the next few years and replacing them with energy generated from the sun, which is clean and sustainable. This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help us meet our climate change goals'' said Okiri.
He added ''Key levers have been identified to reduce, reuse, and recycle key natural resources and waste. We are also continuously seeking ways to reduce our operational footprint and emissions, improve energy efficiency, use more renewable energy, and reduce carbon intensity."
The Company occupies a 224,991-acre piece of land. It harvests soda ash from Lake Magadi, and it’s the world’s second-largest soda ash company, covering over 100 million households in the consumer products category.
It also leads the branded salt market with a market share of over 60 per cent and is one of the category leaders in the business of pulses and water purifiers.