Work on exploring the possibility of oil in Lake Kivu by the Rwandan Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB) could continue after legislators approved the Rwf1.038 billion budget, according to Omar Munyaneza, chairman of the national budget and patrimony committee in the Chamber of Deputies.
The COVID-19 pandemic and funding constraints delayed the start of exploration efforts, which was scheduled to begin in June 2021. RMB conducted a high-level conference in May this year to discuss the planned survey in Lake Kivu, Rubavu District. 2D seismic survey will continue soon, according to Vital Karangwa, the person in charge of communication at RMB.
The man in charge of exploration, energy and industrial processes at the petroleum board, Ivan Twahirwa, said: “The 2D seismic survey is an exploration activity aimed at imaging sedimentary layers of the subsurface area of interest.”
“After data acquisition, raw data shall be processed and interpreted for geological understanding of the petroleum system to pinpoint drilling targets,” he added.
By the end of 2022, Rwandans will be able to use locally produced cooking gas from Lake Kivu. This is due to a $400 million deal signed in February 2019 between Rwanda and Gasmeth Energy to extract and process methane into compressed natural gas (CNG) for cooking, industrial use, and cars.
In the initial phase of methane gas extraction from Lake Kivu, Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) will create 15 megawatts of energy by June 2021. The plant will boost the national grid by 56 megawatts. The project began in October 2019 and will be completed in December 2022.
