The Kenya Electricity Generation company (KenGen) – popularly known for power production as its primary source of revenue, is looking at expanding revenue sources by tapping into commercial data centers that would house network, storage systems as well as servers from local and international companies at a fee. This would make it a completely new area that the company sees as potential in diversifying its business approach.
According to latest reports from the power generator, the firm is seeking services from a consultant familiar with the business to provide a path for feasibility study, design as well as certification of a commercial level IV data center. Tender documents relating to the matter indicate that KenGen is expected to meet the consultant who would be tasked with engaging stakeholders in choosing a location of the land as well as determining requirements.
Additional details from tender documents reveals that the power producer intents to build a new tier IV data center that would host critical systems as well as providing colocation, business continuity and managed service facilities to both local and international firms. This would make the service an additional source of revenue for the power producer.
Amongst targeted firms include those with preferential needs to store large amounts of data and mostly rely on the integrity of stored data to run internal as well as external business processes. KenGen’s primary business over decades has been juts power production which is in turn sold to the Kenya Power for distribution.
The successful consultant will come up with a full design and technical requirements for the whole data center including physical security, cooling, cabling, communication and fire protection civil works. Most businesses depend on data centers to store their critical systems that are needed to run day to day operations that may kick these companies into disarray in case of failure.
A data center within the tier iv category guarantees an uptime of 99.995 percent and is advanced in nature compared to other lower levels. It’s usually a preferred infrastructure for firms that expect an international reach with possibly consistent traffic without instances of downtime, errors of shutdowns.
KenGen is also looking into additional revenue streams such as setting up a geothermal drilling detergent manufacturing factory that will eliminate the need of importing the commodity thereby saving. Other initiatives include commercial treatment and bottling of drinking water.