Britam Tower is strengthening its position as one of Africa’s tallest environmentally focused buildings after a new solar project enabled the Nairobi skyscraper to generate enough electricity each year to power about 2,000 homes for a month.
Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) data shows households in urban areas such as Nairobi use about 200 kilowatt-hours monthly.
The insurer said in its 2025 Sustainability Report that the solar setup at Britam Tower, commissioned on October 1, 2025, is expected to produce 390,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity annually.
The generated power now meets 50 per cent of the 32-floor building’s electricity demand while sharply cutting its carbon footprint and reducing dependence on the national grid.
The electricity produced is also sufficient to cover the energy needs of a typical multi-storey commercial building in Nairobi’s central business district for about nine months.
EPRA audits indicate that most office buildings in the CBD use between 30,000 and 50,000 kWh of electricity every month, placing Britam Tower’s annual solar output among the largest rooftop commercial installations in the country.
The grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system has an installed capacity of 250 kilowatt-peak (kWp) and uses high-efficiency 650-watt solar panels fixed on a purpose-built steel structure above the tower’s parking silo.
Beyond producing electricity, the structure was also planned for a commercial role.
The area beneath the solar panels has been turned into a shaded events venue equipped with windbreaker glass, soundproof flooring, plumbing and washroom facilities, enabling the company to earn extra revenue from the installation.
Britam disclosed that the project has already produced Ksh1.18 million in income since it was commissioned.
The insurer estimates the solar installation will avoid about 198 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions every year.
According to the company, that reduction equals the environmental benefit of planting roughly 10,800 trees annually.
The project is part of Britam’s wider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, which aims to lower emissions across its operations while expanding investment in climate-focused initiatives.
Britam Tower already includes energy-saving features such as LED lighting, motion sensors and biophilic architectural design under its EDGE green-building certification. The Grade A skyscraper, which has set a benchmark for sustainable office developments in Africa, was the first building in Kenya to receive the prestigious EDGE certification from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for its pioneering efficiency in energy, water and materials.
The sustainability report also shows the company achieved a significant drop in water consumption, with group usage falling to 71,626 cubic metres in 2025 from 88,120 cubic metres the previous year.
Britam also expanded ecosystem restoration programmes, restoring more than 444 acres of tree cover, planting 86,000 trees at the Mt Elgon Water Tower, another 10,000 in Rwanda and more than 5,700 trees in public schools, initiatives the company said created 1,358 green jobs.