The delayed full operation of the $400 million Gisagara peat power plant has been triggered by climate change, Ernest Nsabimana, the Minister of infrastructure has disclosed while responding to The New Times. The project, launched in 2017, is expected to increase national energy production capacity by 40 per cent. Known as “Hackan Peat Power Plant”, it is located in Gisagara district, and is expected to start supplying 70MW. “Actually the installed total capacity is 70MW. But currently, it is commissioning 35MW. We hope soon it will be fully commissioning the total capacity of 70 MW. There are some challenges, of course, caused by climate change which is affecting the status of the peat due to flooding. But we hope soon the problem will be solved,” he said. In May 2017, officials indicated that construction was expected to be completed in 36 months, implying the project would have started supplying power by, at least, May 2020. Had it not been for various disruptions due to the current Covid-19 pandemic the country would have got power before the end of 2020, officials said. A landscape picture of the Gisagara based peat power plant that is under construction.Photo Dan Nsengiyumva It has been slow due to problems caused by the effects of Covid-19, which slowed down the delivery of construction materials from where they are imported. Even the completion deadline was extended to 2021, and production was expected to start by April 2021. According to Nsabimana, the Gishoma peat power plant will also be on soon. In May 2018 peat power plant halted operations due to persistent floods since 2017 something that led to losses of Rwf160 million in staff salaries alone. The plant which was constructed by RUNH Power Corporation Ltd at a tune of $39.2 million is located in Bugarama Sector in Rusizi District. Gishoma was expected to generate 15MW peat-to-Power but stopped operations due to flooding that has prevented machines from extracting the peat in Gishoma marshland. Officials said more efforts will be put into extracting enough peat during the dry season so that it enables the factory to operate during rainy seasons. View-of-Gisagara-peat-power-plant-and-sources-of-peat.-Photo-Dan-Nsengiyumva The New Times understands that it requires heavy machines and good technologies to prevent water from flooding the marshland. Is 100 % universal access to electricity achievable by 2024? If the delay of different power plants persists, the country could fail universal access to electricity by 2024. However Nsabimana said that there is optimism as the delayed projects are being fast-tracked while there are new projects in the pipeline that will help to have 100 per cent of Rwandans with access to electricity by 2024. Currently, he said, 69.8 per cent of Rwandans have access to electricity of which 48 per cent have access to on-grid energy while 21 per cent have access to off-grid energy. “In 2012, access to electricity was at 15 per cent. There has been a drastic increase,” he said. Among the mega projects also include Rusumo Hydropower plant expected to be 80 MW. The $340 million project will supply electricity to Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. The plant is expected to add about 26.6MW to each of the beneficiary States. There will be transmission lines for electricity, within 94km from Rusumo to Nyakanazi (Tanzania), 161km to Rwanda, and 194km to Burundi. The project will also supply electricity to Bugesera International Airport. “Currently works for the plant are at 87 per cent. We hope that in September the plant will be completed,” he said. He said that there is also Shema power plant project, which is expected to generate electricity from methane gas with a 56 MW installed capacity. “Construction is estimated at 70 per cent currently. We expect that next year the plant will be on,” he said. Nsabimana added that the Nyabarongo three hydropower project has been launched this month. He said it could be completed in two years to generate 43.5MW. “We have also Rusizi III Hydropower project to generate 147MW for Rwanda, DRC and Burundi. We hope in two years we will reach universal access 100 per cent,” he said. Rwanda’s progress showcased at energy forum During the global SEforALL Forum officiated by President Paul Kagame in Kigali from 17-19 May 2022, Ministers and high-level representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe met to discuss the requirements for a just and equitable energy transition in Africa. The outcome of this Ministerial meeting was the Kigali Communique from the 10 countries. Announcing the Kigali Communique at the Forum, Patricie Uwase, Rwanda’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, said, “Here in Kigali, ministers and senior officials agreed on the importance of articulating a collective position on a just and equitable energy transition In Africa.” Among the principles advocated for in the communique was the need to pursue a modern energy minimum of 1,000 kWh per capita consumption. Middle income economies are consuming 2,500 kWh per capita and high-income economies 6,000 kWh per capita – in Africa, that also prioritises a revolution in clean cooking. Rwanda already has plans to achieve a 100 per cent electrification rate by 2024 and is committed to working with partners like Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) to achieve these energy minimums to support its development and achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7. As stated in the communique, achieving the energy minimums will require a scale-up of private and public sector investment to well over US$2 trillion in new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and new energy technologies and delivery systems.
