Energy Division
The electricity supply of Rwanda is composed of domestic generation and the imported electricity from neighbor countries and regional shared power plants. The source of energy used is from the following sources: hydropower plants, thermal power plants (Diesel and Heavy fuel generators), methane gas and solar energy. In order to solve the problem of power deficit known recently, the government rented thermal power plants as provisional solution.
556 (2024) from the current 228.2 (2020)
Electricity generated in MW
8.6%
Real GDP Growth (2018)
42% (2024) from 79.9% (2020)
% reduction in Biomass usage
100% (2024) from 59.7% (2020)
% of households with access to electricity (on grid and off-grid )
Rwanda’s major Rivers have proven 333 potential sites for Micro-hydropower countrywide. Opportunities exist in Micro and Small Hydropower projects and shared regional hydropower projects with East Africa (EAC) Partners.
A couple of micro and mini small Hydropower Projects are currently under construction. The largest domestic hydropower project is Nyabarongo I, with an installed capacity of 28 MW. Some shared hydropower projects with neighboring countries are also underway, including 145MW project shared by Burundi, DRC and Rwanda and an 80 MW project to be jointly developed by Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda.
21 hydropower plants are grid connected. They include national and shared regional projects (Rusizi I and II HPPs). Hydropower makes up approx. 47% of the total installed capacity. Hydro power plants are either publicly owned and operated, leased to private companies, or privately owned (IPP).
Mini and Small Hydropower
Currently, 11 micro hydropower plants MW exist in Rwanda as isolated networks. These plants were originally developed by the GoR, and handed over to private sector management to increase the private sector contribution in energy generation. GoR has recently leased out these sites to private investor to better operate, upgrade and connect them to the grid. There are also Pico-hydropower plants in the range of 1-10 kW which are either publicly owned or operated by the local communities or entirely private.
By December 2016, 7 privately developed hydropower plants with a total capacity of 16 MW were under different phases of construction, with commercial operation dates (COD) planned in 2019. Feasibility studies conducted by Rwanda Energy Group indicated potential in micro hydro power generation in over 40 smaller sites.
Medium Hydropower
Nyabarongo II (43.5MW) is a multipurpose project expected to cater for water supply, irrigation as well as electrical power generation. The project is also envisaged to mitigate the perpetual flooding downstream of the Nyabarongo River that has proved to be hazardous in the recent years. The project is fully funded by the Government of Rwanda is expected to start end 2019 and expected to be completed in 2025. The project consists of 48m high concrete gravity dam with crest of 228m and a surface power station with 2*8.5MW Keplan turbines just situated at the dam toe.
Rusizi III (145MW) supported by World Bank, EU, AfDB among others with an expected investment capital of $450 million and completion date in 2024. The project is being developed under CEPGL umbrella for Rwanda, Burundi and DRC. Rusizi III hydropower project is planned to generate 145MW and the power output is shared among the three partner states with Rwanda getting 48.3MW and the rest is shared between Burundi and DRC. The project consist of 105m long dam crest whose height is 20.5m, 2.28km Headrace Tunnel and a surface power station with 3*50 MW Francis Units.
Rusumo Falls Hydro Electric Power (80MW) falls. The construction of the project started in 2017 and is planned to be completed end 2020.The project is being developed under NELSAP umbrella for Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania funded by the World Bank.
Rusumo falls Hydropower Project is planned to generate 80 MW and the power output will be shared equally by three countries. The project consists of concrete dam with crest length of 150m,Headrace Tunnel of 460m and a surface power station with 3*30MW Kaplan turbines.
Introduction
Rwanda is located in East Africa at approximately two degrees below the equator. It borders with Burundi in the South, Democratic Republic of Congo in the West, Tanzania in the East and Uganda in the North.
It is generally characterized by Savannah climate and its geographical location endows it with sufficient solar radiation intensity approximately equal to 5kWh/m2/day and peak sun hours of approximately 5 hours per day.
Rwanda’s Total on-grid installed solar energy is 12.08 MW. Households far away from the planned national grid coverage are encouraged to use standalone solar photovoltaic (PVs) to reduce the cost of access to electricity. The Rural Electrification Strategy in Rwanda approved in June 2016 outlines strategies through which Rwanda’s households could “have access to electricity through the most cost effective means by developing programs that will facilitate both the end users to access less costly technologies and increase private sector participation in the provision of these solutions” (MININFRA, RES, 2016). The Energy sector strategic plan underscores the universal access to electricity by 2024 with 48% of the households connected through off grid power systems.
Existing Projects
· Mount Jali in Kigali 250KWp Solar Plant. In 2006, the government of Rwanda signed an MoU with German state Rhineland-Palatinate to construct, own and operate a 250 kWp grid connected solar plant and commissioning was done in 2007.It was funded by the German municipal power company Stadtwerke Mainz and installed by July 2008. The plant was constructed on the top of Mount Jali in Kigali City. Since its commissioning date, the plant has been operating successfully.
· Rwamagana Solar Power Plant (8.3 MW). The US23.7 million Rwamagana solar plant built in collaboration with Gigawatt Global and is located near Agahozo Sharlom Youth Village in Rwamagana District. The plant is the first utility-scale solar power plant in East Africa, was commissioned in February 2015.
· Nasho Solar (3.3 MW) power plant. The project was established and commissioned in 2017 to 3-megawatt solar energy to power-up the irrigation system and the surplus is used to light up homes in the area. The project was funded by the Howard G Buffett Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Projects in pipeline.
· Feasibility studies are being conducted with different partners on the development of 30MW power plant with storage facility in the Eastern province.
Geothermal energy is a clean and reliable source of energy, which is not affected by short-term fluctuations in the weather or world producer prices of oil. Most of the geothermal plants when installed have relatively very low maintenance costs and high availability. Geothermal energy is not dependent on whether it is day or night as solar energy is, or whether the wind blows strongly or not.
In Rwanda, two zones with geothermal potentials are found in the western region associated with volcanoes and the southern region (Bugarama) associated with faults in the East African Rift. Based on reconnaissance surface studies, the western region has been divided into three areas of Gisenyi, Karisimbi and Kinigi prospects that can be developed as separate geothermal prospects. EDCL has undertaken surface exploration studies of Bugarama and Gisenyi sites in Western Province. The surface exploration consists of studying geology, hot springs and geophysics to indicate whether there is substantial heat source that can be exploited for power generation purposes.
According to surface studies, the most promising of which are Karisimbi and Kinigi where it is likely GoR will discover a commercially viable geothermal resource for power generation using either binary or condensing steam turbines.
With extensive exploration and appraisal drilling geothermal is estimated to contribute more than 20 MW in short term and over 300 MW in the long term. The exact size of the resource is not yet proven. This will only be determined once exploratory drilling completed and once established the low costs of Geothermal and its high availability makes it the cheapest form of generation available.
It is evident from available information that Rwanda has areas that have low-temperature geothermal resources that can also be utilized for both power generation and direct industrial uses.
We have given the development of our Geothermal Resources the highest priority over EDPRS II period and among envisaged developments we will have:
· 10 MW from Test Generation site at Kinigi
· 10 MW from Test Generation site at Karisimbi
· 50 MW of production scale generation at Kinigi / Karisimbi
ELECTRICITY LAW RWANDA
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LAW N°52/2018 OF 13/08/2018 MODIFYING LAW Nº21/2011 OF 23/06/2011 GOVERNING ELECTRICITY IN RWANDA
LAW_MODIFYING_LAW_GOVERNING_ELECTRICITY_IN_RWANDA_AS_MODIFIED_TO_DATE.PDF
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RWANDA ENERGY POLICY
Rwanda_Energy_Policy_March_2015.pdf
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PMO ON TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROPERTIES OF ENERGY WATER AND SANITATION AUTHORITY_ EWSA_GAZETTED
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LAW N° 26/2012 OF 29/06/2012 GOVERNING THE PROFESSIONS OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING AND ESTABLISHING THE INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS AND THE INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS IN RWANDA
LAW_GOVERNING__ARCHTECTS__AND_ENGINEERS__Official_Gazette_no_37_of_10.09.2012-1_01.pdf
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MINISTERIAL CIRCULAR ON IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW GOVERNING ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS FINAL SIGNED GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
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MINISTERIAL CIRCULAR ON IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW GOVERNING ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS FINAL SIGNED PSF
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LAW N°52/2018 OF 13/08/2018 MODIFYING LAW Nº21/2011 OF 23/06/2011 GOVERNING ELECTRICITY IN RWANDA AS MODIFIED TO DATE (page 83 – 97)
Law_amending_electricity_law.pdf
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MINISTERIAL GUIDELINES ON MINIMUM STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS FOR SOLAR HOME SYSTEMS
Ministerial_Guidelines_on_minimum_requirements_for_solar_home_systems
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MINISTERIAL GUIDELINES ON MINIGRID DEVELOPMENT
Ministerial_Guidelines_on_Mini_Grid_Development.pdf
To realize the benefits of coherent coordination and Aid effectiveness, Energy Sector Wide Approach Program (E_SWAP) Secretariat was established in 2008. Its main role is to ensure efficient coordination of all sector stakeholders, mobilization of funds, supporting in formulation of sector policies and Strategies.
Sector Coordination (To be put as an item under E-SWAP sub item)
The Sector Coordination is done through conducting Sector Working Groups (SWG), Technical Working Groups (TWG) and High Level Policy Dialogues (HL_PD). The Sector Working Group is conducted at least twice a year during the Forward Looking and Backward Looking Joint Sector Review meetings. It brings together stakeholders from government, development Partners (DPs), Civil Society organizations (CSOs) and Private Sector. The Energy Sector is chaired by the Ministry of Infrastructure (Permanent Secretary) and Co-chaired by a member from the DP community, the current co-chair is from the World Bank.
The Technical Working Groups are the Technical teams of the Sector Working Group Forum. There are four TWGs of the SWG; Generation and Transmission, Access, Biomass and Energy Efficiency. Each Technical Working Group has a chair from the Ministry and a co-chair from the Development Partners or Private Sector. The Members of the TWGs come from all interested stakeholders for that sub-sector.
FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2022/23 REPORT
Energy Forward Looking Joint Serctor Review Report for 2022/23
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2021/22 REPORT
Energy Forward Looking Joint Sector Review (FL-JSR) Report 2021-2022 Fiscal Year
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2020/21 REPORT
Energy_Foward_Looking_JSR_Report_FY20-21-Final_Signed.pdf
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2019/20 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2018/19 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2017/18 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2016/17 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2015/16 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2014/15 REPORT
BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2021/22 REPORT
Click here to see the report BLJSR 2021-22
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2020/21 REPORT
Click here to see the report BLJSR 2020-21
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2018/19 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2017/18 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2016/17 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2015/16 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2014/15 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2020/21 REPORT
Energy_Foward_Looking_JSR_Report_FY20-21-Final_Signed.pdf
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2019/20 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2018/19 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2017/18 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2016/17 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2015/16 REPORT
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FORWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2014/15 REPORT
BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2018/19 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2017/18 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2016/17 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2015/16 REPORT
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BACKWARD- LOOKING JOINT SECTOR REVIEW FOR FY 2014/15 REPORT
Methane Gas in Rwanda is found in Lake Kivu in the Eastern African Rift Zone and the DRC.
The 2,400 sq.km 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.The oxygenated upper layer of the lake from the surface to a depth of 60m supports the lake’s biology. The resource is shared equally between Rwanda and the DRC.
Lake Kivu contains about 300 billion cubic carbon dioxide and 60 billion cubic meters of CH4.An estimated 120 to 250 million cubic meters of CH4 is generated annually in the Lake.
Rwanda wishes to utilize this resource to develop methane-to-power projects and other uses such as fertilizer and industrial use.
The Methane in Lake Kivu is estimated to be sufficient to generate 700 MW of electricity over a period of 55 years. Rwanda’s share of the total generation potential is about 350 MW, with the rest being DRC’s share.
It has the capacity to generate 120 million to 150 million m3 of CH4 per annum, representing a power potential of 90 to 130 MW.
Historical Use of Lake Kivu Methane in Rwanda
Lake Kivu methane was first taped by Union chimique de Belge with a gas pilot plant at cape Rubona in 1963 to supply the Bralirwa brewery. Bralirwa brewery converted one of its boilers to use gas in place of fuel oil, and was supplied with 5,000 cubic meters/day of methane gas purified to 80%.The pilot plant was recently shut down after operating for over 40 years.
Existing Methane-to-Power Projects in Rwanda
1. KivuWatt project, a subsidiary of Contour Global (US-based Company) plans to generate 100MW in two phases, the first phase, which was commissioned in December 2015 is currently producing around 26.4 MW that will be followed by the second phase of 75 MW
2. Kibuye Power (KP1) pilot project located in Rubavu district has been generating around 3MW of electrical power with the design capacity of 3.6 MW; Symbian Power acquired this power plant through the liquidation process and is now mobilizing funds to revive the plant and scale it up to 50 MW.
3. Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd, a subsidiary of Symbion Power LLC, Plans to generate 50 Megawatt (MW) methane gas to power project, the Power plant will be located on Nyamyumba sector in Rubavu District.
Lake Kivu Monitoring Programme
To ensure the safe extraction of Lake Kivu methane gas and the protection of surrounding population through the preservation of the lake’s stability, the government established the Lake Kivu Monitoring Program (LKMP) as a special unit under the Rwanda Energy Group to monitor compliancy and sustainable development of Lake Kivu gas resources.
Available Documents
Numerous reports on Lake Kivu going to 1937 are available. Recent studies by LAHMEYEROSAE and K.Tietze, and Lake Management Prescriptions are also available
The first study done on Rwanda’s peat study indicated that the country peat bogs contain up to 155 million tons of dry peat covering a combined area of 50,000 hectares. About 77% of peat reserves are near Akanyaru and Nyabarongo rivers and the Rwabusoro Plains.
The study indicated a potential for electricity generation from exploitable peat reserves of about 150 MW for sod peat application and 117 MW for milled peat application based on 30 years of operation
PEAT-TO-POWER PROJECTS IN RWANDA
· Gishoma 15 MW Peat to Power Project
Since 2010, the Government started development of a pilot 15MW peat power plant in Gishoma, Rusizi District, to reduce electricity deficit which the country was facing and to coincide with a significant growth of electricity demand observed in the region as a result of the expansion of the local cement factory and country development.
As it was the first of its kind in Rwanda and in Africa in general, the plant was constructed as a pilot power plant and commissioned in 2016 to demonstrate the possibility of generating electricity from peat energy available in the region. Currently the power plant is working and successfully connected to the grid.
· Hakan Project
YUMN Ltd. is developing an 80 MW peat fired power plant in South Akanyaru prospect in Gisagara District and the project is being developed as Public Private Partnership (PPP). Since February 2017 the project is under construction phase and it constructions activities will cover a period of 45 months. At the end of the operation period, HAKAN will transfer the power plant back to the Government of Rwanda.
· The pre-feasibility studies done on seven sites in 2013 indicated that there is potential for at least three of these sites suitable for developing small scale peat energy generation of 15MW each.
Rwanda’s Electricity Grid System is divided into High Voltage - HV (110kV and 220kV) Medium Voltage MV (15kV and 30kV) and Low Voltage-LV (0.4kV)
Rwanda is being interconnected to the region through the 220kV backbone; plans are underway to introduce a 400kV once the regional power trading has been effected. The N-1 Principle is being followed in strengthening the transmission system of the Country. The entire grid system is being managed using the Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
To date, 51% Rwandan households have access to electricity, connected to the national grid (37%) or through off-grid systems (14%). As the target is 100% access to electricity, a national electrification plan has been elaborated to ensure that this target is reached in 7 years (by 2024).
As the Government of Rwanda is promoting alternative sources of electricity such as solar home systems, a parallel policy has been approved to encourage people to make productive use of the power on the national grid, in order to bridge the demand-supply imbalance, while making economic sense of future energy investments. In 5 years (by 2022), 100% productive users will be connected.
The national Policy’s approach on access to Electricity is that 52% of national population will be connected through grid extension while 48% will be connected through Off-grid. Currently off-grid connection is at 14%.
Biomass accounts for 85% of all energy consumed. The subsector covers bio-products. Bio-products are fuels developed from biological materials, split into those that are wood-based, such as wood and charcoal, and biogas, which is derived from waste matter. Biomass is largely consumed for cooking, with wood used by rural households and charcoal by urban households. The biomass subsector is being informed by the development of the Biomass Energy Strategy (2018). This analyses supply and demand of biomass and sets out a strategy to reduce reliance on wood and charcoal.
Under the National strategy for transformation, the sector objective is to halve the number of households using traditional cooking technologies to achieve a sustainable balance between supply and demand of biomass through promotion of most energy efficient technologies.
BIOMASS ENERGY STRATEGY 2019 - 2030
Biomass_Energy_Strategy_-Rwanda_-_October_2019.pdf
Rwanda’s policy on Petroleum has three main elements – an upstream component, currently concerned with exploration for possible petroleum resources, the Mid-stream component that’s dealing with infrastructure such as pipelines, depots etc. and a downstream component that relates to the importation of refined products. The Upstream component is under Rwanda Mining, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB). Midstream is under Ministry of Infrastructure while downstream petroleum issues are dealt with by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM).
MININFRA CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY-NOVEMBER 2019
MININFRA_CAPACITY_DEVELOPMENT_STRATEGY-November__2019_compressed__00000002_.pdf
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RWANDA LEAST COST POWER DEVELOPMENT PLAN(LCPDP) 2019-2040
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ENERGY SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 2018/19 - 2023/24
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ENERGY SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 2013/14 - 2017/18
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RURAL ELECTRIFICATION STRATEGY