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GasMeth energy invests Rwf 230 billion to expand methane gas extraction in lake Kivu
GasMeth Energy increases its investment to Rwf 810 billion to boost methane gas extraction and processing in Lake Kivu.
GasMeth Energy Ltd, the company licensed to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu, has announced an additional investment of Rwf 230 billion to accelerate its operations.This brings the total investment to Rwf 810 billion, with the first phase valued at Rwf 522 billion, aimed at producing methane gas for household cooking and industrial use, according to The New Times
The Government of Rwanda signed a 25-year agreement with GasMeth Energy in February 2019, allowing the company to extract and process methane gas for use in homes, factories, and vehicles. The project is expected to extract up to 40 million cubic meters of methane gas per day from Lake Kivu.
Once operational, the plant will supply gas to between 300,000 and 400,000 households, significantly reducing reliance on wood and charcoal.
On August 18, 2022, the foundation stone was laid in Bwishyura Sector, Karongi District, marking the start of construction for the gas processing plant. However, the project faced delays due to:
– Difficulty securing upfront buyers for the gas
– Slow delivery of essential equipment from abroad
– Funding gaps that took time to resolve
Despite these challenges, CEO Stephen Tierney confirmed that both onshore and offshore operations are now underway, with support from the Rwandan government and financial institutions including Afreximbank, headquartered in Egypt.
Currently, 250 workers have been employed, with projections to reach 800 jobs next year as operations scale up.
According to the EICV7 survey, only 5.4% of Rwandan households used clean cooking fuels in 2024, up from 1% in 2017. Still, 75% of homes rely on firewood, and 18.8% on charcoal. In Kigali, 23% of households use gas, while 59% use charcoal and 17% still depend on firewood.
GasMeth Energy becomes the third company to harness methane from Lake Kivu, joining KivuWatt and Shema Power Lake Kivu in advancing Rwanda’s clean energy transition
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