Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd, a subsidiary of American firm Symbion Power LLC, on Tuesday 8 December 2015, signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and a concession agreement (CA) with the Government of Rwanda for a 50 Megawatt (MW) methane gas to power project.

The official signing involved Symbion Power CEO Paul Hinks, Hon. James MUSONI/Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Germaine KAMAYIRESE/Minister of State for Energy and Water, Hon. Francis GATARE/ CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Mr. Jean-Bosco Mugiraneza/CEO of Rwanda Energy Group and Mrs. Mbabazi Oddette/MD of Energy Utility Company (EUCL).  

With the PPA signed, Symbion will now begin implementation activities including detailed design, procurement and permitting for the project, which is located on the shores of Lake Kivu near Rubavu in western Rwanda.

Symbion CEO Paul Hinks praised the Rwandan Government to use its natural resources. Hinks said “Unlocking Lake Kivu’s energy potential is a game changer for Rwanda. Our team is working hard to turn this resource into affordable, reliable power for Rwanda’s people.

We work with governments across sub-Saharan Africa to replace expensive, imported fuel with indigenous fuel sources to produce electricity and we are honored to have the opportunity to do that here in Rwanda as a part of our commitment to President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.”

He added that Symbion Power applauded investing in Rwanda which is number one investment destination in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Honorable Minister of Infrastructure welcomed the partnership between the Rwanda Energy Group and Symbion Power. Musoni said “Really, the energy from Kivu methane Gas is more preferred because it does not spoil the environment. Additionally, it is not affected by the climate change”. 

He added that the 50MW will be an increment to the current installed capacity of 185MW countywide; he also said that Rwanda is planning to sign other deals to boost power generation.

The Government of Rwanda has set to achieve 70% of the electricity access rate from the current 24% and aims at having an installed capacity of 563MW in 2018. Symbion’s Lake Kivu 50MW Power Project represents 30% of Rwanda’s total current installed capacity.

The Symbion project is a key part of Rwanda’s plan to increase generation capacity.  Base load power generated from the lake resource by Symbion will help boost Rwanda’s electricity supply and lower the overall cost of electricity.

The first barge of Symbion Power Project will provide 14 MW of electricity 15 months after the project reaches financial close.

 The full 50 MW will be commissioned within 36 months after the agreement completion. Lake Kivu contains an estimated 55 billion m3 of naturally occurring methane gas.

 The total power generation potential of this resource has been conservatively estimated at more than 500 MW over 40 years. 

This power project will also reduce the risk of gases trapped in the deep layers of the lake rising to the surface and endangering the surrounding communities.

Symbion will extract methane from the depths of the lake in a safe and controlled manner and process the gas into electricity onshore.

 The project will also help alleviate the risk of an uncontrolled release of gas from the lake.

Symbion is working closely with the Government of Rwanda and its regulatory agencies to ensure that the Lake Kivu project delivers affordable energy in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.