First flight from Africa with Eni Sustainable Mobility
Kenya Airways flight covering the route Nairobi-Amsterdam is powered by sustainable aviation fuel produced by Eni Sustainable Mobility.
We operate in Kenya in the exploration and agro-industrial sectors. The country is leading Africa in the production of vegetable oil for Eni’s biorefineries in Gela and Venice. This is being done through a circular economy model that benefits local communities and helps to ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials to the global energy market. In 2023, Kenya’s national airline became the first in the world to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by Eni Sustainable Mobility on its Nairobi-Amsterdam route.
Africa is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy and geopolitics. To support its constant demographic growth and economic development, the continent needs to invest in energy infrastructure. This is especially true in the sub-Saharan region, where millions of people still lack access to electricity. The energy transition provides an opportunity to meet these challenges by modernizing the energy mix and making it more efficient.
Agip Kenya was the first Eni company to operate in the field of import and distribution of oil products and by-products, nitrogen fertilisers, and synthetic rubber from the 1960s. Today, as Eni Kenya, we are also engaged in exploration activities in the offshore in six blocks located in the deep waters of the Lamu Basin, off Mombasa.
Kenya is the first African country in which we have built an oilseed pressing plant for the extraction of vegetable oil for the production of biofuel. Located in Wote, Makueni County, the centre, also known as an agri-hub, has a capacity of 15,000 tons per year and, since 2022, has been supplying the Eni biorefinery in Gela.
This is a new model in the agribusiness sector that allows Kenya to enter the global industrial chain for the production of agri-feedstock, which are raw materials cultivated on degraded, semi-arid or abandoned land that are not in competition with the food supply chain.
The first plant will be followed by a second. The development plan for the agri-hubs generates income and market access opportunities for tens of thousands of farmers and provides for them to also function as training and technical support centres for local workers with the goal of contributing to the improvement of agricultural production and soil regeneration, also through the adoption of good practices and the promotion of food security in the territories.
As part of the circular economy projects launched across the country, there is also the collection of used cooking oil (UCO) involving fast food chains, restaurants and hotels, and a study for the conversion of the Mombasa refinery into a biorefinery. Since 2018 we have been the private funder of an enterprise acceleration programme the result of the collaboration between several partners, including the E4Impact Foundation, The CeSPI (Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale) the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan. Finally, in Lamu County, we built a solar-powered desalination plant to produce clean and drinking water, around 20,000 litres per day, which benefits 2,000 inhabitants, given that, during periods of drought, it can rise to 6,500 people.
Below is a selection of data about our activities in the country
agri-feedstock production through to 2026
families involved in agri-feedstock projects
involved in the collection and export of used oils in 2022
gross undeveloped area vs 41,892 km² total net area
agri-feedstock production through to 2026
families involved in agri-feedstock projects
involved in the collection and export of used oils in 2022
gross undeveloped area vs 41,892 km² total net area
From petroleum products to biofuels, we share the country’s path towards the energy transition.
Kenya Airways flight covering the route Nairobi-Amsterdam is powered by sustainable aviation fuel produced by Eni Sustainable Mobility.
In collaboration with AICS, the initiative aims to test climate-resistant sustainable agricultural technologies and practices inMakueni County.
The first cargo of vegetable oil for biorefining produced by Eni in Kenya leaves the port of Mombasa bound for the biorefinery in Gela, Italy.
The Makueni agri-hub for the collection and pressing of oilseed is operative with the launch of vegetable oil production for biorefineries.
Around 25,000 local farmer families are involved in the production of agri-feedstock for the biorefining supply chain.
The collaboration agreement covers key sectors for the development of the country, such as agriculture and the environment, healthcare and education, innovation and access to energy.
The agreement provides for the promotion of the decarbonisation process through the integration of the circular economy along the entire supply chain.
Activities in the exploration and production of natural resources resume.
The company starts production and distribution activities of petroleum products and by-products, nitrogen fertilisers and synthetic rubber.
We support the local private sector by creating entrepreneurial initiatives that create value in the area.
With two wells and a reverse osmosis desalination plant powered by renewable energy, the island of Pate has access to water resources.
Kenya Branch
Eaton Place
5th Floor
Gigiri, United Nations Crescent
Off Limuru Road
P.O. Box 2913-00621
Nairobi, Kenya