Dec 30 2010
Rwanda plans to produce 300 MW of electricity by 2017 from geothermal sources. According to Coletha Ruhamya, the Junior Energy Minister of Rwanda, the country plans on providing electricity to at least half of all the homes in the nation by the same time. Geothermal sources would provide 50% of the electricity requirements in Rwanda by 2020.
In 2011, Rwanda plans to drill three wells using a $900 million program. If steam is found in these wells, Well-head generation units would be installed for production of 10 MW of energy.
The geothermal potential alongside the East African Rift System has been calculated to be over 15,000 MW, wherein 7000 MW would be in Kenya. Currently Kenya with its 202 MW capacity and a future 280 MW is the most successful nation among the other nations in the region.
Rwanda plans to drill three wells in 2011
According to Baba Moussa, Director for infrastructure and energy, all the abundant geothermal energy resources could be more easily exploited if there were regulatory and institutional frameworks and a clear policy in force.
Geoffrey Muchemi, Geothermal Development Manager for Kengen, stated that some major barriers existed for the development of geothermal energy. They were the huge investments needed for appraisal drilling and exploration activities, the protracted time taken for obtaining financial assistance and also the unavailability of technology and skills as they were all found abroad and were highly expensive. One plan was to harmonize the geothermal sector development policies across the nations, which would eliminate some of the barriers and permit sharing of the costly and rare resources and at the same time reduce the risk factor for private investors. Kenya with its greater experience in geothermal exploration and also purchasing plans of 12 drilling rigs could offer well-appraisal and exploration services to its neighboring countries at a subsidized cost.
According to Ms.Ruhamya, to achieve a social economic development, the domestic geothermal resources must be utilized with a right balance of private and public sector investments. The right policies also need to be framed for attracting the active participation of the local communities and investors.