Methane Gas in Rwanda

Methane Gas Resources is found in the Lake Kivu in the Eastern African Rift Zone. The lake contains high concentrations of naturally occurring methane gas (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), with the highest concentrations at depths ranging from 270m to 500m at an area of around 2,400 sq.km.

The oxygenated upper layer of the lake from the surface to a depth of 60m supports the lake’s biology. The resource is equally shared between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Until 2004, extraction of the gas was done on a small scale, with the extracted gas being used to run boilers at a brewery in Gisenyi. Since then, the Government of Rwanda has prioritized the production of electricity from this unique resource in order to address the growing electrical energy deficit.

Completed and Ongoing Methane-to-Power Projects

a) KivuWatt project, a subsidiary of Contour Global (US-based Company) entered into commercial operations since 31st December 2015 and operates at base load with a nominal gross capacity of 26 MW.

c) Shema Power Lake Kivu Ltd, signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) for a 56 MW net power output from methane gas. The Power plant is located on Nyamyumba sector in Rubavu District. Currently the power plant is generating 37.5 MW and will soon reach its full capacity.