Rwanda is set to start using the cooking gas produced from Lake Kivu by the end of 2023.
Lake Kivu lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
The project involves the construction of an offshore gas extraction facility along with onshore gas processing and compression plants for CNG.
Africanews visited the Gasmeth company construction site near lake Kivu to examine the progress of the locally produced gas. Steven Manzi, GASMETH construction manager explains:
It is going to be constructed in two phases, the first phase is going to be composed on one badge, the location, where we are standing now is going to be where the badge is going to be assembled, and then after it is going to be taken where the gas is going to be extracted which is approximately 30-35 km from here.
After extracting the gas, it goes through a series of verification, such that we can attain the natural gas which is the CNG gas we need. The gas will be brought via pipes, it will come below the lake and onshore.
The $400 million deal between the Rwandan government and Gasmeth Energy Company to extract and process methane from Lake Kivu into CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) was signed in February 2019. However, it was delayed by various factors, including the outbreak COVID-19 pandemic.