Rwanda-SPLK: Methane gas electricity encouraged

Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva visited the methane gas power plant in Rubavu District. The plant, known as Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK), now supplies 50 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.

The visit of Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva on Saturday, September 6, aimed to encourage the production of electricity from methane gas in Lake Kivu.

Upon arrival at the plant, the Prime Minister was briefed on the complex process of methane treatment, from its extraction from Lake Kivu to its transport by gas pipeline, its treatment and the production of electricity which is then injected into the national electricity grid.

He was shown how the power plant operator, Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK), officially commissioned the Lake Kivu Power Plant project in Rwanda with the help of gas-fired generators.

Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) produces electricity from methane.

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ambassador Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, said the government encourages such projects.

“Rwanda is actively promoting the production of electricity from methane gas from Lake Kivu, particularly through the Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) project, which has been supplying the national grid since 2024,” he said. It was in this context, he said, that Prime Minister Nsengiyumva visited the plant.

“The Prime Minister came to visit this plant to encourage such initiatives. Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) is a power plant that produces electricity from methane present in Lake Kivu. It is working well and contributes enormously to our country’s electricity supply,” he said.

He added that the capacity of the plant is to be increased so that it can produce another 28 megawatts.

Shema Power Lake Kivu Ltd (SPLK) is located in Busoro cell, Nyamyumba sector, Rubavu district.

Touted as one of the country’s most exciting energy supply projects, this power plant uses 19 MWM TCG 2032B V16 gas generator sets that harness the significant amounts of methane present in the lake to generate energy.

SPLK is expected to contribute significantly to the stability of electricity supply

To do this, the gas-water mixture stored in the depths of the lake is brought to the surface on floating platforms using a patented suction system, before being transported to the shore via a 17 km pipeline.

Thanks to this, SPLK is expected to make a significant contribution to the stability of the country’s electricity supply.

This project aims not only to provide a significant source of energy for the country, but also to reduce a major environmental hazard linked to the accumulation of this potentially deadly gas in the deep waters of the lake.

Before SPLK, projects such as KivuWatt in Karongi district have already harnessed methane, with the potential to eventually reach 100 MW.

Rwanda had set itself the goal of covering the entire country with electricity by 2024.