Rwanda signs US$400 million Lake Kivu methane deal
Rwanda has signed a US$400 million deal to produce bottled gas from Lake Kivu, which emits such dense clouds of methane it is known as one of Africa’s “Killer Lakes”.
The project by Gasmeth Energy, owned by US and Nigerian businessmen and Rwandans, would suck gas from the lake’s deep floor and bottle it for use as fuel. This should, in turn, help prevent toxic gas bubbling to the surface.
The seven-year deal was signed on the 8th February.
Rwanda already has two companies which extract gas from Lake Kivu to power electricity plants.
Clare Akamanzi, chief executive of the Rwanda Development Board, told Reuters bottled methane would help cut local reliance on wood and charcoal, the fuels most households and tea factories use in the East African nation of 12 million people.
Source: Energy Mix