KIGALI - The long-awaited extraction of methane gas from Lake Kivu is set to begin following the arrival of the extraction machinery from Kenya by ContourGlobal’s subsidiary, KivuWatt Limited.

Last year, the government signed a $ 325m agreement with ContourGlobal, an American energy company to extract gas from the lake.

Yesterday,  the first shipment of the heavy machinery was being cleared by the Customs department.
When complete the project is expected to produce 100 Mega Watts of electricity.

Speaking to The New Times, KivuWatt’s Logistics manager, Emmanuel Wenani, revealed that 25MW will be produced in the first phase of the project (end 2010) and 75MW on completion in 2012.

"ContourGlobal will construct a platform from where the gas will be extracted 350m deep. The gas will then be processed and transported through a pipe to Kibuye power plant for distribution”

According to Wenani, the power that will be generated will be able to serve Rwanda as well as the neighboring countries.

”Methane gas is a less expensive and a more reliable source of energy. When the project is complete, East Africa will rely on Rwanda for cheap and reliable energy,” he added.

Ends