The African Development Bank (AfDB) has extended a $24-million loan to support Rwanda’s contribution to the development of the multinational 147 MW Ruzizi III hydropower project.
The project – a joint initiative between Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – would entail the construction of a run-of-river dam on the Ruzizi river, between the DRC and Rwanda, downstream of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi II hydropower dam.
The project included an 8.3 km 220 kV transmission line to the Kamanyola power dispatch centre and associated power evacuating lines which were funded separately.
The output would be equally shared among the three participating countries and the project would increase Rwanda’s clean energy generation capacity by about 50 MW. Additional benefits of the project included the creation of permanent and temporary jobs and a reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions.
An unnamed private sector partner, acting in the capacity of investor/developer and major shareholder was recruited to implement the project and would be awarded a 25-year concession to operate the project on behalf of the joint partners.
AfDB resident representative Negatu Makonnen encouraged the government of Rwanda to consider more joint infrastructure projects to enhance regional integration and emphasised that, “Sustainable regional infrastructure is necessary for strong regional integration and key to successfully tackling today’s most challenging climate change-related challenges.
“The multinational Ruzizi III hydropower plant project is central to AfDB’s strategic vision for the development of the African energy sector through the promotion of universal access to low-carbon and inclusive modern energy,” he added.