Gov’t to increase electricity rollout

The government is pooling all its energy into a project that will see the number of Rwandans with access to electricity increase from the current 9.5 percent to 16 percent in 2012. State Minister in charge of Water and Energy, Eng. Coletha Ruhamya, said yesterday that the country was doing everything possible to work out a plan on how to save more energy. “We do not have enough energy, and obviously we do not want to lose the little we have. We are looking for ways to save as much power as possible and increase the percentage of people who have excess to energy,” she said. Ruhamya, who officially launched the Sustainable Energy Development Project (SEDP) in Kigali, said that in comparison to other states, Rwanda’s carbon emissions were still on a very low level. The meeting was called to raise awareness in government institutions, development partners and the private sector on the various components of the project to help prepare for successful project implementation. Ruhamya explained that there were some sectors that consume much more electricity than others and pointed out an example of hospitals. “For instance, hospitals have been using a lot of energy in water heating but now, there is a plan to exploit other methods like the solar water heater subsidy scheme that will see less power used,” she said Ruhamya reminded that Rwanda was exploring all possible energy sources available that can be used to produce more energy. She also pointed out the government would conduct an audit on Rwanda’s national grid project to gauge where electricity is used more and why. The Sustainable Energy Development Project (SEDP)’s components include hydropower, solar energy, biomass and energy efficiency. Ends

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Gov’t to increase electricity rollout