Country Rwanda Status Operational Primary fuel Methane | Location Kibuye Commission date 2008 Owner Politics of Rwanda | |
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Nameplate capacity 3.6 megawatts (4,800 hp) | ||
Kibuye Power Plant 1, also Kibuye Thermal Power Station 1, is a 3.6 megawatts (4,800 hp) methane gas-fired thermal power plant in Rwanda.
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Location
The power plant is located in Kibuye, Karongi District, in the Western Province of Rwanda, approximately 135 kilometres (84 mi), by road, west of Kigali, the capital and largest city in that country.
Overview
Starting in 2006, with partial financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the government of Rwanda began sourcing for qualified engineering firms to design, build and operate a methane gas-powered electricity generating power plant, using gas extracted from the depths of Lake Kivu. One of the objectives of this project, was to proove that it was possible to generate electricity from methane gas in the lake in on a profitable commercial basis. The project cost an estimated US$20 million to set up.
Ownership
The project is majority owned by the Rwandan government. A partnership with Dane Associates, an Edinburgh-based enterprise broke up over financial disagreements and pending litigation in this regard is still outstanding.