Kivu 56 Power Station Explained

Kivu 56 Power Station
Location Map Caption:Location of Kivu 56 Power Station in Rwanda
Coordinates:-1.8025°N 29.2806°W
Country:Rwanda
Location:Nyamyumba
Owner:Symbion Power
Status:O
Th Fuel Primary:methane gas
Commissioned:2022

Symbion Thermal Power Station is a methane gas-fired thermal power plant located at the Cape of Busororo near the town of Nyamyumba in Rubavu District, in the Western Province of Rwanda.[1]

Location

The power station is located at Cape Busororo, near Nyamyumba in Western Rwanda, approximately 163km (101miles), by road, northwest of Kigali, the national capital and largest city in the country.[2] This location lies approximately 20km (10miles), by road, south of Gisenyi, the provincial capital and nearest large town.[3]

Overview

Kivu 56 Power Station is owned and operated by Symbion Power LLC, a private energy provider headquartered in the United States. The plant consists of two facilities: (a) an off-shore installation which extracts, separates and processes methane gas, which is dissolved in the deep waters of Lake Kivu, and then delivers it to (b) an on-shore generating facility located at Cape of Busororo, where the gas is used to turn gas turbines to generate electricity.[4]

Kivu 56 Power Station is the third methane gas powered power station in Rwanda, after KivuWatt Power Station, which generates 25 MW and is in the process of expanding capacity to 100 MW,[5] and the Kibuye Power Plant 1, which is also owned by Symbion and is undergoing phased expansion to .[6]

Symbion Power has registered a Rwandan subsidiary company that it owns 100 percent by the name Shema Power Lake Kivu Methane Limited, to design, fund, build, own, operate and maintain the Kivu 56 Power Station. Four gas turbines, each rated at 16 megawatts, power the plant to produce 56 megawatts of clean energy.[7] [8]

Construction

According to the power purchase agreements signed between the relevant parties, the first from this power station, are expected in 2018.[6] In September 2017, Symbion sold US$100 million worth of equity in its two Rwandan projects; namely Kibuye Power Plant 1 and Kivu 56 Power Station. The money will be used to develop both power stations to generate a combined . A total of US$370 million is budgeted to fulfill that goal.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rwanda Awards 50 MW Methane Gas To Electricity Project On Lake Kivu To US Symbion Power. Press Release. 24 December 2015. 8 August 2014. Symbion Power.
  2. Web site: Road Distance Between Kigali And Nyamyumba With Route Marker. GFC. Globefeed.com (GFC). 24 December 2014. 24 December 2015.
  3. Web site: 24 December 2015. 24 December 2015. GFC. Map Showing Gisenyi And Nyamyumba With Route Marker. Globefeed.com (GFC).
  4. Web site: Deal watch: Symbion Power to build methane plant in Rwanda . 11 August 2014 . ESI-Africa . 24 December 2015 . ESI Africa . Cape Town, South Africa.
  5. Web site: Nairobi. Rwanda adds 25MW from KivuWatt, Symbion signs methane deal. 24 December 2015. 13 December 2015. Kabona. Esiara. African Review.
  6. Web site: . Symbion Power to produce 50 MW from methane . 29 October 2016 . Esiara Kabona . 29 September 2017 . Nairobi, Kenya.
  7. Web site: Arik21.africa . Rwanda: Symbion Power invests $200 million in biogas power plant . 4 April 2019 . Luchelle Feukeng . 15 May 2022 . Paris, France.
  8. Web site: 13 May 2021 . Rwanda: Kivu56 to start commercial operations in March 2022 . Africa-Energy.com . 15 May 2022 . African Energy Newsletter . Paris, France.
  9. Web site: US firm sells stock to fund Rwanda power projects . 27 September 2017 . . Nairobi. Esiara . Kabona . 29 September 2017.