CHAPTER 8: ENERGY RESOURCES

Introduction
Rwanda has considerable opportunities for energy development – from hydro sources,
methane gas, solar and peat deposits. Untapped resources for power generation amount to
about 1,200 MW. Most of these energy sources have not been fully exploited. As such, wood
is still the major source of energy for 94 per cent of the population and imported petroleum
products consume more than 40 per cent of foreign exchange.

Energy is a key component of the economy. It is thus recognised that the current inadequate
and expensive energy supply constitutes a limiting factor to sustainable development.
Rwanda’s Vision 2020 emphasizes the need for economic growth, private investment and
economic transformation supported by a reliable and affordable energy supply as a key factor
for the development process. To achieve this transformation, the country will need to increase
energy production and diversify into alternative energy sources.

The Vision 2020 energy target is to have at least 35 per cent of the population connected to
electricity (up from the current 6 per cent) and to reduce the rate of wood use in national
energy consumption from the current 94 to 50 per cent (ROR 2000). Additionally, the PRSP
aims to ensure a energy consumption growth rate of nearly 10 per cent per year, and a rural
electrification rate of 30 per cent giving electricity access to 35 per cent of the population by
2020 (ROR 2007).

Deforestation for charcoal leaves whole swathes of land bare

Photo credit: REMA

The energy crisis in Rwanda

Several indicators point to an energy crisis in Rwanda including: accelerated deforestation, a

biomass energy deficit and deterioration in electricity generation and distribution systems.

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The major part of the energy consumed in Rwanda today still comes from wood (80.4 per
cent). Yet studies carried out as far back as 1981/82 and 1989/90 already showed a gap of
3,000,000 m³ of wood for energy needs only (Privatisation Secretariat undated). As a result,
there is massive deforestation across the country with consequent effects on the environment.
Deforestation is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 6: Forests and Protected Areas.

The installed electricity generation capacity is extremely low at 72.445 MW from all
categories (MININFRA 2009a). Only 2 per cent of the population has access to electricity,
and there is a gap in national production of electricity of more than 50 per cent which is filled
by electricity imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda (Privatisation
Secretariat undated). Figure 1 shows the energy demand by sector, while table 1 shows the
current electricity generating capacity in the country.
Figure 1: Energy demand in Rwanda

Source: Privatisation Secretariat undated

Table 1: Current electricity generation capacity

Category Name Installed Available

capacity capacity
(MW) (MW)
In house hydropower Ntaruka 11.76 6
Mukungwa 12.5 11
Gihira 1.8 1.8
Gisenyi 1.2 1.2
Imported hydropower Rusizi 1 (SNEL) 3.5 3.5
Rusizi 2 (SINELAC) 12 8
Micro hydropower Nyamyotsi 0.075 0.075
In house thermal power Jabana 7.8 7.8
Gatsata 2 4.77 0
Gatsata 1 1.8 0
Rental thermal power Aggreko 1 (Gikondo) 10 10
Aggreko 2 (Mukungwa) 5 5
Solar power Kigali solar 0.25 0.25
Total 72.445 54.625
Source MININFRA 2009a

Sources of energy in Rwanda

The energy sector in Rwanda is made up of three sub-sectors: power, hydrocarbon and new
and renewable sources of energy. Amongst the renewable sources of energy are biomass,

2
solar, peat, wind, geothermal and hydropower. Biomass is the most used and dominates both
the demand and supply sides of the Rwandan economy. The current national energy balance
of 86, 11 and 3 per cent of all energy consumed is used in the form of biomass, hydrocarbons
and electricity, respectively. This is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Primary Energy balance 2007

Source: MININFRA 2008a

Biomass or primary energy balance

Biomass is used in the form of firewood, charcoal or agricultural residues mainly for cooking
purposes in Rwandan households, and also in some industries (MININFRA 2008a). In the
rural areas, biomass meets up to 94 per cent of national needs; with the balance being met by
other options such as kerosene, diesel, dry cells, grid and non-grid electricity, biogas, solar,
wind and other renewable energies. Biomass is already in short supply with the country
facing a biomass deficit of over 4 million m3 per year.

Although fuel wood consumption is expected to increase in the short-term, the long-term
strategy of the EDPRS is to reduce fuel wood consumption from 94 to 50 per cent by the end
of 2020. Table 2 indicates an expected increase in consumption by 20 per cent between 2005
and 2010. Measures to address this include a plan to increase the area under forest from 20 to
23.5 per cent by 2012. This will be accompanied by a concurrent decrease in wood
consumption from 8.9 to 6.2 million m3.

Rwanda is expected to continue using firewood which will be capped at 25 per cent for
Kigali, 40 per cent for other urban areas and 90 per cent for rural areas and be suppressed
progressively with the introduction of LPG and other alternatives including solar and thermal
applications. However due to uncertainty in introduction of LPG and solar thermal
applications, the high levels of production for Improved Cooking Stoves will be maintained
and the market influenced to evolve with the entry of the new fuels and technologies. The
East African Community Scaling-Up strategy is to undertake a serious campaign to introduce
Improvised Cook Stoves (ICS) on a sustained business model to keep the supply and demand
balanced. The firewood ICS are cheaper than the charcoal ICS at US $3 compared to US $6
respectively.

Impacts of biomass use on the economy and environment

Studies indicate that about 80 per cent of firewood used in the country is foraged (no cost for
end users) and very little goes through the market economy (Theuri 2007). This has
implications for providing alterative interventions and is likely to hamper efforts towards
development of environmental friendly alternatives. But there are also implications on time

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 spent in collecting this fuel. Theuri (2007) estimates that households in Kigali spend the
shortest time to access wood fuel, about half an hour; while other urban and rural spend about
one and half hours and 2 hours respectively.

The continued lack of alternative energy sources such as LPG or electricity are leading to
increased pressure on the available forest resources for firewood and charcoal. Charcoal is the
preferred fuel for urban households and demand is pushing up the price. In 2003, the charcoal
market had a turnover of US $30 million (World Bank 2006). The current trend towards
increased urbanization and the declining state of forest resources points to the need to design
effective policies to address some of the pressing challenges in the energy sector.

Table 2: Wood Consumption Projections (baseline, t/yr)

Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Firewood urban 81.916 86.831 92.041 97.564 103.417 109.622
Wood for charcoal 1.643.655 1.732.734 1.836.698 1.946.900 2.063.714 2.187.537
urban
Firewood rural 2.805.431 2.871.907 2.939.317 3.007.623 3.076.787 3.146.761
Wood for charcoal 123.409 126.333 129.298 132.303 135.346 138.424
rural
Industry, institutions 336.652 344.629 352.718 360.915 369.214 377.611
Total 4.982.063 5.162.434 5.350.072 5.545.305 5.748.478 5.959.956
Source: Vanderplas 2004

A traditional kiln for burning charcoal – they are quite inefficient using a lot of wood contributing to
deforeation

Photo credit: REMA

The power sub-sector

ELECTROGAZ has been the sole integrated electricity supplier in the country. Rwanda
imports electricity through cross-border interconnections of about 15.5 MW from the DRC
and SINELAC and about 3MW from Uganda (MININFRA 2009a). Figure 3 shows the

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electricity distribution network in the country. Electricity is imported from Ruzizi I (a power
plant belonging to DRC), Ruzizi II (a community power plant belonging to Rwanda, Burundi
and the DRC) and from Uganda. In spite of these imports, there is a gap in electricity
generation of about 50 per cent. By 2004 this amounted to about 380 MWh of electricity
supplied (UNDP 2007). Figure 4 shows the electricity demand and supply by Electrogaz in
2004 and table 3 shows the electricity balance for Rwanda.

Electricity shortage has necessitated regular load shedding. Load shedding is when power
distribution companies switch off electricity supply to some clients. Frequent power shortage
has resulted in individuals, manufacturing entities and firms purchasing their own generators.
This has led to an increase in production costs of industry, a subsequent increase in consumer
goods and increased emissions to the environment. Power shortages have also led to a 250
per cent increase in power prices – from 48 to 120 Rwf per unit of power (UNDP 2007). At
the times of this energy crisis, there was also a shortage of charcoal. Most of the shortage is
caused by deforestation due to exploitation of forests for biomass energy.

In order to meet demand Electrogaz purchased a number of diesel powered generators. By the
second quarter of 2006 the cost of paying for the diesel was estimated to approximately US
$65,000 per day. Although electricity is consumed mainly in urban areas, there are cost
implications of these expenditures to the rest of the economy. Kigali alone consumes about
60 per cent of the entire generated electricity (UNDP 2007).
Figure 3: Rwanda electricity network

CARTE DU RESEAU ELECTRIQUE DU

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Figure 4: Electricity demand and supply by Electrogaz (July 2004)

Source: UNDP 2007

Table 3: Electricity Balances of Rwanda (in GWh)

Source: Core International Inc 2005

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The hydrocarbon sub-sector
Rwanda is completely dependent on imported petroleum products. Hydrocarbons serve as a
source of electricity by powering diesel generators, and are also used in the transport sector.
About 42 per cent of the electricity produced in Rwanda is produced by diesel generators.
Information on the petroleum sector is scanty and is therefore not included here.

Methane gas
One of the biggest inputs into the electricity grid in the near future will be power generated
from methane gas extracted from the bottom of Lake Kivu. It is estimated to contain about 55
billion m3 of dissolved methane gas (MININFRA 2009b). Lake Kivu offers the best
alternative for energy because of its relatively low construction cost and low estimated
operating costs and is a key government priority.

The first efforts to utilise the methane deposits were undertaken in the late 1950s with 1.5
million cubic meters of gas being supplied annually to the nearby Balirwa Brewery in
Gisenyi. The plant was shut down in 2004.

According to a rough estimate, the methane potential in the Lake is equivalent to 40 million
tons oil equivalent, which means an estimated 700 MW can be produced by power plants
continuously at least over a period of 55 years assuming an extraction rate of one billion
cubic meters of methane per year (MININFRA 2009b).

Prior to current efforts to extract methane gas, extensive studies were conducted to evaluate
potential environmental impacts and these included evaluation of leakage levels that would
potentially contribute to global warming (MININFRA 2003). The results of the studies have
guided the equipment design and other social and environmental management measures in
the area.

Peat, geothermal and wind energy

Peat
Rwanda has peat reserves estimated at 155 million tonnes and therefore has the potential to
replace wood, charcoal and fuel oil (MININFRA 2008b). It is estimated that about a third is
commercially extractable and can be used for direct use as source of heat or for production of
electricity. While power production from peat is still in a planning stage, the use of peat as
burning fuel has already been tested in community institutions, for brick making and in the
cottage industry (MININFRA 2009a). However the environmental impacts of commercial
exploitation will need to be considered before peat can serve as a realistic energy alternative.
Table 4 shows the development potential from the energy sources available in Rwanda.

Geothermal
Rwanda possesses geothermal resources in the form of hot springs along the belt of Lake
Kivu with a power generation potential of about 170-320 MW. Preliminary technical
exploration studies are currently being conducted.

Wind
The potential of wind as a source of energy is currently being investigated. A national wind
atlas is going to be developed with the support of the Belgian Government.

Table 4: Sites for potential development of energy

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 Identified sites Capacity

Hydro power (in MW)

Nyabarongo 27.5
Rukarara 9
Mukungwa II 3
Rusomo falls (shared) 60
Ruzizi III (shared/under exploitation) 500 /72
Microhydro power (in MW)
Many locations all over Rwanda 30 - 500
Methane (inMW)
Lake Kivu 170-340
Peat (in Million tonnes) 155
Solar (in KWh /m2/ day) 5.5
Wood- estimated (in Million tonnes) 2.3
Source: Electrogaz 2008

Charcoal being taken to market

Photo credit: REMA

Opportunities provided by the energy sector

Reducing environmental impacts through improved energy supply
Energy consumption is intricately linked to environment and natural resources; and there are
opportunities for improved environment management through more efficient energy use. The
government recognizes the need for alternative, renewable energy sources, as a means of
reducing tremendous pressure on woody biomass. Providing adequate, affordable energy is
essential for eradicating poverty, improving human welfare, and raising living standards.

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 Table 5 highlights some of the socio-economic and environmental opportunities that will be
provided by energy development.

Table 5: Socioeconomic and environmental impacts on energy sector

Energy Socio economic impacts Environmental impacts
sources (positive and negative) (positive and negative)
Hydro power ƒ SOGEMR Gaseke (425kW) project plant ƒ Rural electrification in the schools and
created employment in rural area of 50-100 hospitals will help to reduce the
people for about 6 months. This encouraged the deforestation, which helps to reduce the
private sector to take part in the power emissions of green house gases (GHG)
production sector (MININFRA 2008b) (ROR 2004).
ƒ Interconnection project through Belgium ƒ UERP project increased environmental
Government support close to Lake Kivu awareness among the public and it also
(Rutsiro & Rubavu) will indirectly help about contributed to indirectly reduce GHG
728 and 9000 households respectively emissions through its energy conservation
(MININFRA 2008b) programme.
ƒ Rural electrification will help the children and
adults to access ICT, which is one of the prime
goals of the government (ROR 2004).
ƒ Rural electrification will help in the agricultural
sector through irrigation and mechanization
(ROR 2004).
ƒ Runyombyi (50kW) in the South district will
improve the quality of health care, education
and income of about 50,000 people (EAESI
2005).
ƒ Chogati micro hydro power project will
improve health care, education and income of
about 3500 people (EAESI 2005).
Fossil fuel ƒ The urgent need of power generation through ƒ LPG distribution and consumption in
thermal (diesel) led to the increase in Kabuga -Kigali Ngali province project
production costs. through the women organization will help
ƒ LPG and Kerosene are considered to an 5000-6000 people from Indoor Air
alternative to biomass. It will reduce the time pollution (EAESI 2005)
children and women spend searching for
firewood
Biomass ƒ About 300,000 people are involved in the ƒ Mass dissemination of Improved Cook
biomass business - farmers, charcoal producers, Stoves (ICS) in rural households and tree
transporters and commercial people. Also those planting will reduce firewood consumption
involved in public and private plantations ƒ Improved carbonization techniques will
business are focusing on the rural areas, buying contribute in reducing trees cutting and
land and generating income (MININFRA ensure environmental protection.
2008b) ƒ Usage of peat will lead to reduction of
ƒ There will be a high possibility of rural income GHG (Dekelver et.al. 2005)
generation in particular women through small ƒ Controlled papyrus exploitation and
business development. carbonization contributes highly to
ƒ About 84 people are currently employed in the environmental protection
SNV biogas program which is expected to ƒ Methane gas fly freely in the atmosphere
grow. Many entrepreneurs are involved in absorb more heat than CO2 so the
construction, maintenance of biogas systems exploitation of it will reduce its negative
and training. Around 110 families have already environmental impact
benefited from this program (Dekelver et.al. ƒ Biogas replacing firewood and animal
2005, MININFRA 2007). Kigali city council is dung contributes to combat deforestation
trying to incorporate biogas plants in and soil depletion. It also replaces fossil
Imudugudus and as an alternative for biomass. fuel in lighting and thus reducing the
ƒ The municipal solid waste management project emission of GHG. Bio-slurry is used as
started with the Muhima association with fertilizer. In addition it improves the living
USAID ARD Inc helps the city. It employs 350 standards of women relieving them from
people. The compost is used as fertilizer and it the burden of wood collection for cooking.

9
 Energy Socio economic impacts Environmental impacts
sources (positive and negative) (positive and negative)
is a cheap fuel for the poor (EAESI 2005). It ƒ Briquetting from saw dust helps to keep
generates income of US $6000 per annum. the urban environment clean
ƒ Community-assisted Access to Sustainable ƒ Briquetting from organic waste helps to
Energy (CASE) project focuses on poor and keep the city clean, produces composite
peri urban people and is likely to reduce the gap fertilizers and reduce deforestation
between biomass supply and demand for 24,000 (EAESI 2005)
households in Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, ƒ Improved cook stoves help to reduce
Gisagara and Huye districts indoor air pollution and improves the
ƒ Biomass (organic wastes) briquetting from health of the women and children.
residues by women NGO in Rugenge, Kigali,
Rwanda can generate employment for
HIV/AIDS patients
Solar ƒ Solar photovoltaic system can help to electricity ƒ All solar projects on photovoltaic power
the rural schools and hospitals (268 health generation, rural electrification, and water
centres) to improve the health facility and heater can help to reduce the GHGs.
education
ƒ Solar water heater project can help to reduce the
energy consumption
Methane gas ƒ It can supply gas and power to the neighboring ƒ Tapping of methane can reduce the impact
villages of free emission of it to the atmosphere,
ƒ The bye product during the power generation, which causes more damage.
Ammonia can be used as fertilizer and it can
increase the productivity of agriculture(ROR
2004)
Transboundar ƒ Improved employment due to construction and ƒ Rusumo falls hydro project expects
y projects operation highland and resettlement requirements,
ƒ Risk of increase in communicable diseases but proliferation of water hyacinth, increased
migration can minimize these effects waterborne diseases and downstream
ƒ The Rusizi III option can give a potential impacts on the Akagera National Park.
agricultural boom due to irrigated lands and ƒ Studies show that the Northern part of the
increase human pressure to resettlement and study area got most of the power
refugee movement in over populated areas development options and this will have a
ƒ The Rusumo falls project will affect around positive impact on the climate change
3000 people in that region and around 250 km2 (NBI 2007).
of existing wetlands will be flooded. ƒ The Rusizi III run-of-river option expects
ƒ The overall regional options will improve the that there would be no change in the flow
socio-economic conditions including alleviation regime and the reduction in nutrient flow
of daily chores such as wood gathering, reduces will improve water quality and vegetation
water related conflicts and provide more resources.
reliable electric supply. ƒ The Rusumo falls project expects that
reduction in flood flows and slight
increase in dry season flow, no change of
evaporation, reduction in wetlands could
have an impact on migratory birds,
potential presence of migratory fish.
ƒ The overall regional options reduce
pressure on deforestation, green house
gases emissions and other air pollutants
and it can help to have a better
environmental planning and management
on management of aquatic resources.

10
 A woman making an energy saving stove

Photo credit: REMA

Improved cook stoves reduce the amount of smoke generated reducing the impacts of indoor air pollution

Photo credit: REMA

Transboundary power projects

The need for transboundary power projects is obvious in Rwanda because the country does
not have enough capacity to produce electricity that can support the desired social and

11
economic development. The nationally produced electricity has been found to be
unsustainable due to seasonal variations in rainfall which sometimes result in low water
levels and therefore reduced electricity generation. As already indicated Rwanda is importing
electricity from SINELAC as a result of regional power partnerships with Burundi and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and from Uganda.

The government is committed to bridging this existing gap between demand and local
production through the importation of electrical energy. With the emergence of the East
African regional integration, there are opportunities for coordinated distribution of energy
resources based on national energy balance. Table 6 .shows trends in national hydropower
production with comparisons between imports and exports for 2006-2008.
Table 6: National production, importation and exportation comparisons (in kWh)

2006 2007 2008

kWh % kWh % kWh %
National 168,292,098 73.06 165,360,523 66.51 194,015,217 70.16
production
Export 2,033,200 0.88 2,146,300 0.86 2,154,950 0.78
Import 64,097,400 27.83 85,409,140 34.35 84,658,127 30.61
Total - 230,356,298 248,623,363 276,517,394
national
Source : Electrogaz 2008

Opportunity to enhance efficient utilization of energy

The recent energy strategic plan targets enhancing energy efficiency by reducing losses of
technical nature from 23 to 15 per cent, and commercial losses from 12 to 5 per cent over the
EDPRS period. Energy saving devices and appliances will also target to increase supply from
0 to 30 MW by the year 2012. Projects such as the rehabilitation of the transmission and
distribution network, putting in place a system of investment and operational guidelines,
conducting energy audit of the national power utility, distribution of 800,000 Compact
Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) to households and commercial users will provide opportunities for
enhanced efficiencies with real benefits for environmental protection.

Challenges faced by the energy sector

Energy efficiency in the transport sector

About 75 per cent of all imported petroleum is consumed within the transport sector; and
transport costs are quite high. In Rwanda transport costs are estimated to be at least two and
half times higher than in the neighboring countries (see table 7). The development of the
sector, therefore, has both direct and indirect implications for the total energy consumption
and socio-economic growth.

The energy challenge within the transport sector is to ensure efficient and safe use of
petroleum products. Efficient petroleum use is determined by the standard of vehicles, the
quality of the transport systems and the use of most energy efficient transport means. It is
worth noting that all motor vehicles are imported and a majority of them are used cars which
would otherwise need standard assessments to ascertain emission levels meet air quality
standards. There is insufficient standardization and quality control of petroleum products and
inadequate enforcement and uncoordinated safety measures. Data on transport emissions and
resultant pollution effects is virtually absent except for a national inventory on greenhouse
gases emissions carried out under the UNFCCC in 2002. This study indicated that the carbon-

12
dioxide and methane gas emitted by petroleum products were 259.68 Gg and 0.042 Gg
respectively. The carbon-dioxide emissions, mainly from the transport sector, are significant
and these calls for more focused attention to ensure appropriate corrective measures are in
place. The uncontrolled environmental pollution caused by vehicles is potentially dangerous
especially in urban settlements like Kigali where the number of used cars are increasing at an
extremely high rate.

Table 7: Transport and energy costs in Rwanda compared to neighboring countries

Source: ROR 2007

Improving institutional capacity

Institutional coordination is still constrained by capacity limitations and knowledge gaps. For
instance, there is not much awareness of the renewable energy alternatives and technology is
very low in the country. Also the country is failing to benefit from the clean development
mechanism because of a lack of knowledge on how to exploit the opportunities. There is also
need for effective institutional coordination that promotes synergistic efforts towards a
coherent national energy strategy particularly in favour of environmental protection.

The low consumption of commercial energy has had adverse impacts on economic growth,
which is manifested in low levels of agricultural mechanization and industrialization. In the
recent past Government has encouraged private sector in power generation. There is also
need put in place effective strategies to build capacity, particularly for the private sector in
conducting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This has become evident with the
development of the sector guidelines for environmental regulation which will, in all
likelihood come with technical challenges to national environmental management.

Responses to improve the energy situation

Improving access to electricity

Access to electricity by 2006/7 was 4.7 per cent of the total population and is expected to
grow up to 30 per cent in 2020. Per capita consumption of electricity is also expected to grow
from 30kWh to 100kWh in 2020 (ROR 2007) as a result there is going to be a great demand
in this sector. This increasing demand for modern energy has necessitated the search for
alternative sources such as the micro-hydro potential and solar energy. The development of
methane gas of Lake Kivu also represents a primary option because it could substitute
traditional sources of energy, particularly the biomass-based wood and charcoal.

The EDPRS 2008-2012 forecasts that by 2012, 200,000 households are expected to have
access to electricity compared with 70,000 now. This includes 300 administrative centres,
1000 schools and 180 health centres. The production capacity is planned to increase from
45MW to 130 MW by 2012 from 50MW excess power from hydro-electricity, 25MW of
energy from methane gas power generation. ROR 2007 expects that from the year 2000 to
2020, the annual electricity consumption rate is going to increase from 30kWh to 100kWh.
On the other hand, the EAESI (2005) estimates that the electricity access will rise from the

13
current 4 to 35 per cent in 2020. It expects to achieve this by extending the grid to cover new
settlements and through decentralizing generation using solar, hydropower or using diesel
generators. When extending the grids priority will be given to services, markets, district
headquarters, imudugudus, trading centres, factories, agro-processing facilities, health
centres. Tables 8 and 9 show the hydro- and micro-hydro power projects that are planned or
currently under construction.

Table 8: Hydro-power projects planned/under construction

Hydro power projects Capacity in Operating/Funding To be started/ completed

(National/Regional) MW
National
Nyabarongo 27.5 Exim Bank, India October 2008/2011
Rukarara 9.5 GoR 2006/ Mid 2009
Regional
Rusumo falls 60 World Bank 2009/ 2014
Ruzizi III 82 European Union Under feasibility study
Ruzizi IV 205 European Union Under feasibility study
Source: MININFRA 2007

Table 9: Micro-hydro power projects planned/ under construction

Funding organizations Number of Micro- Capacity in Under study/ planned/ under

hydro projects MW construction
GoR 8 6.35 To be commissioned by mid 2009
European Commission 5-10 3 Under study
Netherland Government 6 Approx 1.5 Through PPP program, under
through GTZ construction
Belgium Government 3 2.3 Under study
UNIDO 4 0.6 1 completed, 3 expected to be in
operation by June 2008
Source: MININFRA 2007

Implementing the energy policy

The goal of National energy policy (ROR 2004) is to meet the energy challenges and needs of
the Rwandan population for sustainable national development. Rwanda has already set forth
energy policy options to develop the sector and at the same time to contribute to reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions. These options aim especially to: increase access rate to modern
energy resources such as hydropower, new and renewable energies; produce large quantity
and quality of energy for urban and rural areas while improving security of electricity and
petrol products supplies; and meet needs of domestic energy while protecting environment.
The Ministry of Infrastructure has identified the priority policy actions as:
• Developing Lake Kivu methane and bringing on line more hydro power.
• Deliver a programme of rural electrification on the basis of enhanced distribution
networks, micro hydro, and solar power.
• Implement a wood and charcoal efficiency and substitution strategy to counter the
deforestation crisis.
• Specifically, with regards to rural policy, the Government of Rwanda has emphasized that
the rural energy and electrification form an integral part of Rwanda’s overall rural
transformation and poverty reduction strategy.

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The National Energy Policy incorporates the MDGs in encouraging wider application of
alternative energy sources for domestic and agricultural purposes, promoting small and
medium-sized enterprises (SME), job creation, economic growth, decentralized power
generations, promotion of efficient biogas conversion, improve use technologies, focusing on
rural development through electrification of rural economic centres. It also focuses on the
introduction of financial, legal and administrative institutions to develop appropriate rural
energy system (EAESI 2005).

To achieve the set goals for sustainable development will require comprehensive policy
reviews in support of environmentally friendly alternatives that include utilization of energy
alternatives. The application of tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) as well as the operationalisation of legislative
framework and other regulatory instruments all present opportunities for effective
contribution of energy options towards poverty reduction and sustainable national economic
growth.

Energy saving stoves that are easy and cheap to build are part of the strategy to increase wood and
charcoal efficiency

Photo credit: REMA

Conclusion and recommendations

The energy sub-sector plays a vital role in facilitating growth in other sectors such as
agriculture, ICT, education and health; and in the provision of services in the public sector.

15
The government thus aims to ensure security of supplies by increasing production from
several sources (hydro-electricity, methane gas, solar power, biomass and petroleum).

Other initiatives include improving cost-effectiveness and reflective tariffs as well as

operational efficiency of the sector; increasing energy diversification and strengthening the
governance framework and institutional capacity of the sub-sector. Some key
recommendations are listed below:
ƒ To establish a truly sustainable energy system Rwanda requires technological
breakthroughs that radically alter how the country produces and uses energy. Institutional
co-operation and co-ordination is imperative to achieve this goal.
ƒ Regulatory measures for improvements in licensing, storage facilities and safety
standards and pricing need to be addressed. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve
mass transport systems to reduce fuel consumption, traffic congestion and pollution.
The exploration for possibilities of fuel switch to other energy forms should be
encouraged. The switch to unleaded fuel must be affected.
ƒ The Energy and Agricultural Policy must be coordinated to promotion of environmentally
friendly technologies and methods through collaboration with other ministries and
institutions.
ƒ There is a need to establish an institutional framework that can mobilize, co-ordinate and
facilitate private and public initiatives for renewable energy/technologies usage in rural
areas.
ƒ It is necessary to create awareness and understanding of available renewable
technologies, practices and resources.
ƒ There is a need to promote efficient conversion and end-use energy technologies and
practices in order to minimize health hazards primarily affecting women and children,
and environmental degradation.
ƒ Rural energy is diverse and characterized by various actors and interests. A sustainable
institutional framework that can cope with the diversity, manage and co-ordinate various
efforts, is a key factor for successful development of rural energy.
ƒ Resolve the issue of fuel wood imbalance by a) planting of more trees, b) reducing
demand for fuel wood in the domestic and institutional usage and maintenance of
generation and transmission equipment by fully trained staff.

References

Core International Inc (2005) Rwanda Electricity and Water Tariff Analysis, USAID. Available at
http://www.globalregulatorynetwork.org/Files/PDFs/RwandaTariffReport.pdf

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