Kenya: Virgin bid to use biofuel could boost energy sector

Virgin Atlantic’s quest to become the first commercial airline to use biofuels to power its aircraft could be the catalyst needed to realise the potential in Kenya’s alternative energy sector.

The airline has scheduled a test flight on biofuel early in 2008, less than a year since June when Virgin Atlantic owner Richard Branson committed Sh210 billion towards research into environmentally-friendly energy resources for the next 10 years.
The money, which will come from his airline and rail businesses, is to be invested through Virgin Fuels, a new arm that is focusing largely on biofuel innovations.

Local farmers have started growing biofuel-producing crops like jathropa and rapseed and a breakthrough for Virgin would mean new markets for them.

Ms Lorna Omuodo, the director of the Vanilla Jathropa Development Foundation, said it would be an opportunity to improve rural incomes if Virgin pioneers foreign market opportunities for biofuel.

Business Daily Africa