Kioo Limited are the largest manufacturer of glass packaging for the soft drink, alcohol and food industry in East and Central Africa. The multi-engine power plant installed by Clarke Energy has achieved an availability in excess of 95% (at the time of writing), with the two Jenbacher engines meeting the full on site power demand of the facility. A stable power supply drastically improves product quality, compared to daily interruptions from an unreliable electricity grid.
Kioo’s glass manufacturing facility began operation in 1963. The facility originally used fuel oil for the glass melting process and the local grid for electricity requirements. As a result of an unstable grid, productivity and product quality was being severely affected on a daily basis, resulting in the decision to investigate on-site power generation.
Kioo installed 1 x Jenbacher 612 and 1 x Jenbacher 620 into an existing building back in 2011. Increased production requirements and energy demands resulted in Clarke Energy engineering, installing and maintaining a further containerised Jenbacher 420 in 2017.
The site runs 24/7, 365 days per year with an electrical demand of 5.3MW being met by island mode power generation. 370 metric tonnes of glass is produced per day, with plans to upgrade output to 390 metric tonnes by the end of 2019. Once plant upgrades are in place, increased engine output will be required at 6MW.
Kioo is currently the only glass bottle manufacturing facility in Tanzania. 60 percent of produce is exported around East Africa with 40 percent meeting the demands of Tanzania. The company mines sand some 60km from site for the production of glass and employs roughly 400 permanent staff and 100 contractors.
Kioo Limited glass packaging plant, Tanzania“The effect of uninterrupted power supply has been immense. Production efficiencies of mid 80% are now around +90%. The quality of our products has drastically improved with no interruptions to the production process. This gives our customers tremendous confidence.” said Hani Jawamis, Kioo Energy Manager.