UK based firm wins tender for Rwanda methane gas projects

UK-based firm, Clarke Energy, has been named the preferred bidder for two power plants in Rwanda which will generate power from Lake Kivu, a statement released this week has indicated. The statement noted that the projects will include approximately 25 gas engines from General Electric’s power arm which manufactures gas engines used to generate electricity. General Electric (GE) is the company behind the popular Jenbacher and Waukesha gas engines. Clarke Energy is the authorized sale and service provider of Jenbancher across 25 countries. Clarke Energy will deliver gas engines across Symbion Power’s Kivu 56 and Kibuye Power 1 (KP1) power plants, both of which are located on the shores of Lake Kivu in the Western Province. Symbion Power is an energy development company which entered a concession agreement with Rwanda last year to invest in the extraction of methane gas from Lake Kivu. The Kivu 56 project is planned to export 56 megawatts of power into Rwanda’s grid under a 25-year concession. KP1 originated as an earlier pilot project while Symbion acquired the plant in 2016 to upgrade it from 3.6 megawatts to 25 megawatts. The upgrade is expected to be added to the country’s grid system under a separate 25-year concession. “After a long and rigorous competitive process, we have selected Clarke Energy, using GE’s Jenbacher gas engines, as our preferred technology provider,” Symbion Power’s chief executive, Paul Hinks, said in a statement. The two power projects at Lake Kivu are expected to increase electricity capacity by 81 megawatts and significantly reduce the current cost of power generation. Clarke Energy’s Managing Director in Africa, Alan Fletcher, said they are delighted to have been named the preferred bidder by Symbion Power, highlighting that their proposed solution is able to deliver reliable supplies of sustainable energy and support jobs in Rwanda. The gas engines that the firm will deliver will provide higher efficiency and increased capacity for Symbion Power’s projects, the statement added. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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UK based firm wins tender for Rwanda methane gas projects