Rwanda aims to maximize Lake Kivu’s power output

Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva visited the Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) methane gas power plant and Rubavu Port in Western Province’s Rubavu District on September 6.

Methane gas reserves are used to make energy at the SPLK plant, a $309 million building on the shores of Lake Kivu. It can produce 56 megawatts of electricity, and 50 megawatts of that goes to Rwanda’s national grid.

The Prime Minister suggested that a study be done on how to boost the plant’s output, with the addition of 28 megawatts of power being one option.

The Minister of State for Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Jean De Dieu Uwihanganye, said that the talks with the Prime Minister were meant to find ways to make things easier for the investor so that the planned amount of electricity production can be reached.

“We are dedicated to making the best use of this natural resource, methane gas, to increase the supply of electricity in the country even more.” “You already know that as our country grows, so does the need for energy,” he said.

After visiting SPLK, the Prime Minister went to Rubavu Port, which was a $9 million project that the government of Rwanda and its development partners worked together to finish in December 2024.

The new port is in Nyamyumba Sector and can handle 700,000 tons of goods and 2.7 million people each year.

It will probably make trade stronger with nearby areas, as well as with Goma and North Kivu Province in the DR Congo.

Eight months after opening, the port is already moving 1,400 tonnes of goods every day, which is 70% of the 2,000 tonnes of goods that it was supposed to move every day.

As Uwihanganye says, the Prime Minister also asked for better service delivery at the port to make sure that all facilities and support are available. This would make it easy for residents and other users to get the most out of the port.

As part of the government’s plan to build four ports on Lake Kivu to make it easier for people and goods to move around, Rubavu Port was built.

“The goal is to make it easier for people to trade with each other in districts along Lake Kivu and to boost trade between Rwanda and its neighbors,” Uwihanganye said.

The government project to build Rusizi Port should be finished by the end of 2025 and ready for business.

With Rubavu Port, these services will make traveling by water faster, easier, and cheaper than if you only used roads. One example is that there is a road that goes from Rubavu to Rusizi, but it can be hard to use and take a long time. One boat can take the same amount of stuff as four trucks, which saves time and energy.

He said, “This will lower transportation costs, make trade easier for locals, and encourage business growth in the area.”

The port has also given over 200 people jobs in the area, according to Uwihanganye.