The KivuWatt Ltd concession is located wholly within Rwandan territory in Karongi District. The proposed project is the construction and operation of a facility to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu and generate 100 MW of electrical power in two phases. Phase I, considered as pilot plant will produce 25 MW of power from one Gas Extraction Facility witch will be located at 15 km in the Lake from the shore. Phase II will produce 75 MW.

 
Gas extraction of methane gas  in lake Kivu. Photo Archives

It comprises the construction and operation of four offshore Gas Extraction Facilities barges (GEF's), an onshore Power Plant and an onshore Marine Landing Site (MLS) that will be utilized in the fabrication and launching of the gas extraction facility.

Kivuwatt has already began plans for the second phase, which will see an additional 75MW produced by the end of 2012.

The first phase of the project cost US$142 million but the cost for the second phase is not yet known. They (Kivuwatt) are working on the financial structure of the second phase so as to immediately usher in the complete production of 100MW from methane gas in Lake Kivu as soon as possible. Once they are done, they will present the structure to us for assessment.

According to Gerard Rusile, the Kivuwatt Project Officer  “there is good progress and the designs are all in place- this is a good step if you put in context the complications involved in extracting methane gas from a unique lake like Kivu. Also important is that the financing groups are all ready and willing to see the project through.”