Petroleum Africa
Find us on: 
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Wärtsilä saw the inauguration of KivuWatt, a 25-MW Smart Power Generation power plant supplied by Wärtsilä. The inauguration took place in Kibuye, Rwanda on May 16.
The plant is powered by three Wärtsilä 34SG engines running on methane gas that is lifted from the depths of Lake Kivu. The ceremony was hosted by the owner of the power plant, ContourGlobal, and the plant was inaugurated by Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame.
Lake Kivu has been known as the “killer lake” due to the large amounts of methane gas trapped under a layer of heavy water washed out of the nearby volcanoes. When the gas concentration gets too high, or the lake is hit by one of the region’s regular earthquakes, the gas can be set free. This poses a threat to the people living in the vicinity.
“By tapping into these gas resources, the project makes Lake Kivu a safer place, while supplying much-needed electricity to the national grid,” said Atte Palomäki, Executive VP, Communications & Branding, Wärtsilä Corporation.
The methane is lifted from a depth of 300 meters by a special barge anchored 13 km offshore. The gas is purified on the barge and transported to the shore through an underwater pipeline. The gas is then used in the engines of the power plant, providing low-cost renewable energy to the local community and to the country.
Wärtsilä was contracted to supply the Smart Power Generation plant with a full EPC delivery in 2011. The plant has been operational and running on the extracted methane since December 2015. Currently ContourGlobal is preparing to extend the plant with one more Wärtsilä 34SG engine.
The Wärtsilä 34SG engine offers the highest simple cycle efficiency in the market, showing no derating at the altitude of 1500 meters. The engines are optimized to run on Lake Kivu’s gases that have a lower heating value than normal natural gas. This has helped to downsize the size of the extracting barge and optimise the costs of producing electricity.
Wärtsilä has previously delivered two other EPC projects to ContourGlobal in Africa: a 100-MW plant in Togo, and a 53-MW plant in Senegal. The Senegal project currently has a 32-MW extension under construction.
" alt="First LNG Realized at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim Project">
" alt="United Energy Acquires Western Desert Producer APEX">
" alt="Baker Hughes Announces Major Gas Technology Orders for Venture Global LNG">
" alt="ReconAfrica: Naingopo Results Demonstrate a Working Petroleum System">
" alt="Tullow Highlights 2025 Operational Plans in Ghana">
" alt="TotalEnergies to Supply 1.5 TWh to STMicroelectronics in France Over 15 years">
" alt="Rockhopper Reaches Final Settlement with United on Egypt’s Abu Sennan Concession">
" alt="Oil & Gas Crucial for African Growth: AEC Calls for Industry Support to Defend African Market">
