Kebs to implement biogas standards on commercial demand
The government will start implementing new regulations beginning this July to ensure biogas producers meet stringent standard levels as the technology remains key in the transition to sustainable energy.
Under the new regulations unveiled on Monday, Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) gave guidance on planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of farm and industrial scale anaerobic biogas systems.
“Plant designers, installers and users thus require information on environmental and emission protection aspects and health and safety requirements for the above-mentioned phases,” said Kebs Managing Director Lt Col (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini during the launch of emerging standards.
New standards
Kebs will implement the safe use of biogas technology in collaboration with the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to match international standards and industrial competitiveness.
The new Kenya Standard requirement (KS2951) is meant to spur sustained use of biogas in the rural areas where uptake remains low despite it being an alternative clean energy since cooking gas is more expensive.
Rural and semi-urban households still bank on dirty fuels such as kerosine, firewood, and charcoal for cooking despite associated health risks.
Biogas uptake in the manufacturing segment is quite high, mainly used to steam industrial boilers and cut usage of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) which is highly toxic and expensive following recent price jump in oil products.
Firms with system
Already, companies such as Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) have a massive biogas system capable of producing between 12 and 16 tonnes per hour of steam output.
The biogas system standard is among the 205 emerging standards for various sectors that have become effective from this month following their gazettement in January 2021.
Kebs approves, amends, adopts and reviews various standards every quarter in line with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The standards are categorized into seven categories which include; Food and Agriculture standards (5), Chemical standards (49), Cosmetics standards (18), Services’ standards (21), Leather and Textile Standards (27), Engineering Standards (26) and Electrotechnical and ICT Standards (59).
