The power plant is being developed to be in line with Rwanda's Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy through decreasing power generation costs and increasing reliability and access to electricity in the surrounding areas.
Phase 1 of the project is expected to contribute 25 megawatts of electricity.
24 August 2011: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and other development finance institutions have commited to contributing US$91 million to assist in developing Phase 1 of the Kivuwatt Power Project in Rwanda. Phase 1 of the project, an integrated-methane gas extraction and power production facility, is expected to increase Rwanda’s electricity capacity by 40%.
The Kivuwatt Power Project is a result of the necessary extraction of methane gas from Lake Kivu to reduce the risk of its eruption, thus avoiding loss of life and biodiversity in the surrounding areas. Phase 1, upon completion, will have a combined capacity of 25 megawatts of electricity.
It has been developed in line with Rwanda’s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, which aims to reduce electricty generation costs and diversify electricty generation resources, focusing on local resources, to increase security of supply. Negatu Makonnen, AfDB Resident Representative, noted that the project will not only provide a more affordoble source of power, but also increase reliability and access for rural areas. [AfDB Press Release]