Efforts to exploit geothermal reserves for electricity generation appear to gather more steam with drilling of the first exploration wells in Karisimbi scheduled to commence in August.
And if the wells are productive, a 10MW power generation plant will immediately be built to convert the steam into electricity as one of the several options the government is exploring to boost power supply. The planned US$ 30 million investment will produce its first power in 2014 if all goes according to plan. Development of infrastructure needed to facilitate the drilling such as water has commenced.
Energy officials who spoke during last week's Rwanda Energy Investor Forum in Kigali said that subsequently, the plan is to let the private sector develop four potential sites, each with a capacity to generate 75MW, that together will add 300 MW to the grid by 2017. The four prospective sites are Gisenyi, Karisimbi and Kinigi located in western region as well as Bugarama in southern region.
By funding the test drilling in Karisimbi at an estimate cost of US$ 5m per well, the government intention is to show courteous investors that there are 100% chances of striking commercially viable geothermal reserves in this area of live volcanoes and active seismic and magnetic activity.
Initial surface surveys estimate the steam in underground in Gisenyi to generate about 200MW, Karisimbi 320MW, Kinigi 120MW, Bugarama 60MW and about 40MW from other smaller sites. This brings the total geothermal energy potential to about 740MW. But Dr Steven Onacha, a geothermal expert involved in the exploration work, said that more recent studies show the potential could be much bigger than originally thought.
Evidence of availability of geothermal reserves in Rwanda was first noticed in 1982 when the French Bureau of Geology measured temperatures under ground to be 100 degrees Celsius.
In 2006, an investigation by another company, Chevron, estimated the temperatures at 150 degrees while BGR and KenGen concluded in a survey done last year that temperatures in Karisimbi are after all higher.
By funding the test drilling in Karisimbi at an estimate cost of US$ 5m per well, the government intention is to show courteous investors that there are 100% chances of striking commercially viable geothermal reserves in this area of live volcanoes and active seismic and magnetic activity.
Initial surface surveys estimate the steam in underground in Gisenyi to generate about 200MW, Karisimbi 320MW, Kinigi 120MW, Bugarama 60MW and about 40MW from other smaller sites. This brings the total geothermal energy potential to about 740MW. But Dr Steven Onacha, a geothermal expert involved in the exploration work, said that more recent studies show the potential could be much bigger than originally thought.
Evidence of availability of geothermal reserves in Rwanda was first noticed in 1982 when the French Bureau of Geology measured temperatures under ground to be 100 degrees Celsius.
In 2006, an investigation by another company, Chevron, estimated the temperatures at 150 degrees while BGR and KenGen concluded in a survey done last year that temperatures in Karisimbi are after all higher.
