The laboratory, costing Frw 2 billion, is being built in the Rubavu District as part of the larger Lake Kivu Monitoring Program (LKMP), which is essential for the sustainable management of this important natural resource for Rwanda.
Once complete, the facility will be equipped with advanced tools for monitoring environmental protection, water quality, and methane gas levels, while also supporting various research activities.
The laboratory will provide valuable equipment for experts in the fields of biology, chemistry, earth sciences, and other disciplines, offering resources that are not readily available in the region.
Eric Mudakikwa Ruhanamirindi, the environment analytics and Lake Kivu monitoring division manager at REMA, confirmed that the laboratory will be completed by November.
"The main objective is to ensure that methane gas extraction is conducted without harming the environment,' he told the Parliamentary Committee on Land, Agriculture, Livestock and Environment on Tuesday.
Alex Mugabo, REMA's Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) Coordinator, mentioned that the construction of the laboratory is 80% complete.
He noted that although the project was expected to be finished by now, an additional Frw 500 to 600 million is required to complete the remaining work. Despite this, he emphasized that the construction is progressing well.
REMA has confirmed that the required funds for the completion of the project have already been secured, with no further financial concerns.
Statistics show that Lake Kivu contains between 60 and 70 cubic kilometers of methane gas, with 44.7 cubic kilometers available for extraction.
Rwanda has two industries extracting this natural resource: KivuWatt and Shema Power Lake Kivu. Additionally, a new plant, GasMeth, is set to begin operations soon.
Rwanda has two plants currently extracting this natural resource including KivuWatt and Shema Power Lake Kivu. In addition, a new plant, GasMeth, is set to begin operations shortly.
In the next five years, Rwanda plans to invest over $1 billion into projects aimed at generating 1,000 megawatts of power to meet the country's diverse energy needs.
Part of this investment will go toward developing methane gas extraction to generate an additional 136 megawatts of electricity from this natural resource.
IGIHE
