Energy in Rwanda

The extent of grid electricity is limited and mainly concentrated near Kigali. Most of the country uses firewood as its main energy source. Rwanda is planning to expand from 221 MW of grid power in 2018 to 556 MW in 2024 and may import as much some additional from neighboring countries. In addition, it is installing small solar units throughout the country to ensure electricity to buildings not connected to the national grid, or to help deal with power outages. Currently, the government plans to bring electricity access to 100% of the population by 2024, as opposed to 51% in 2019.[1]

With its limited electrical infrastructure, Rwanda has a very high degree of renewable energy usage. Most of the country's electricity comes from hydropower.[2] Electrical production accounted for 4% of energy use in the country in 2014,

53% of electricity is generated by hydropower. At the end of 2018, Rwanda's grid-connected power plants supplied 221.1MW.[3]

KivuWatt project is an energy project to extract natural gas dissolved in Lake Kivu and use the extracted gas to generate electricity.[4] In 2016, the operational 25MW power plant is able to provide enough energy for 45,000 people in Rwanda. The ongoing expansion project is expected to add 26MW of generating capacity in its first phase, and eventually scale up to 100MW in the coming years.[5]

The first utility-scale solar farm in Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa is the 8.5MW plant at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, in the Rwamagana District, Eastern Province of Rwanda. It leased 20 hectares (49 acres) of land from the village which is a charity to house and educate Rwandan genocide victims. The plant uses 28,360 photovoltaic panels and produces 6% of total electrical supply of the country. The project was built with U.S., Israeli, Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish and UK funding and expertise.[6]

The use of off-grid solar power has increased as solar panel prices have fallen and many areas do not expect grid connections in the near future. Solar power produces over 2% of electricity in the country. The country is in the midst of a rapid expansion of its electrical grid and many new plants are proposed or under construction.

Biomass is the most important energy source utilized through firewood and agricultural waste for cooking. In 2014, this represented 85% of Rwanda's energy use.[7] Peat from peat marshes in southwestern Rwanda will power two electrical plants. The first 15MW plant is expected online in 2015 with the second, a 80MW plant, expected in 2017.