The ministry of infrastructure has launched a geothermal energy project on the slopes of Rwanda's highest mountain, Mt. Karisimbi.
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If the project succeeds, it will provide the country with a reliable, sustainable, and cheap energy source. Minister of Infrastructure Prof. Silas Lwakabamba announced the project last Wednesday, on the eve of the start of the initial exploratory stage on Thursday.
Geothermal energy stored under the surface of the earth, and this same energy creates hot springs. It is more sustainable than burning fossil fuels, such as diesel, for energy, as it releases a fraction of the greenhouse gases that fossil fuels do. Geothermal energy is only extractable from places in the world with specific conditions, the greater Virunga mountain region being one of them.
The Karisimbi geothermal project is one of four geothermal prospects in Rwanda; the other three locations are Kinigi in Musanze, Gisenyi in Rubavu and Bugarama in Rusizi. Each location will have multiple drilling sites. Research findings have shown that these locations may potentially have enough geothermal energy to satisfy the entire country's energy needs.
The start of drilling at Karisimbi is a big achievement after a long process of infrastructure renovation, research, prospecting, and drilling installation to ensure that it will be safe and reliable.
The geothermal drilling became possible after a pipeline was laid to Karago Lake, located 19 kilometers away, to provide the 2000 liters of water per minute needed.
The project will last six months, with the drills working 24 hours a day. The project if fully funded by the government.
These first six months of drilling are exploratory, to test the ground to ensure that geothermal energy is available and suitable to extract. Also during this time, engineers will decide the exact equipment needed to extract that energy. Geologists will be testing the ground every two meters to identify the probability of successful energy extraction and will be designing a wellhead, which is determined according to the specific kind of energy available.
Ntare Karitanyi, the director general of the Energy Water, and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), assured the public that in six months, Rwanda's geothermal energy availability will be confirmed, and a year after confirmation, a wellhead will be installed to supply geothermal energy to the country.
At the official drilling launch on Thursday, the State Minister in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Emma Francoise Isumbingabo, explained that the government has taken risks with this project: although research shows that the geothermal energy may be available on the selected sites, there is no guarantee that the geothermal energy is available or is easily extractable, although she said there is reason to be optimistic.
"There is a hope that this project will be successful. Research shows that in ten drilling sites, at least seven have potential for geothermal energy extraction."
Isumbingabo's claim is supported by officials from the Great Wall Drilling Company (GWDC), a company from China that is constructing drilling site in Karisimbi. They explained that ten years ago, only three of the ten sites would be accessible for drilling, but with the development of new technology, seven out of ten can be successfully drilled.
The Karisimbi geothermal project is being supervised by Reykjavik Goertherm Company (RG), a private company from Iceland. Many countries around the world, including Kenya, have identified geothermal energy as the sustainable, cheap, and a better environmental alternative to fossil fuels. The Karisimbi geothermal project will cost $21 million.
If the project succeeds, it will provide the country with a reliable, sustainable, and cheap energy source. Minister of Infrastructure Prof. Silas Lwakabamba announced the project last Wednesday, on the eve of the start of the initial exploratory stage on Thursday.
Geothermal energy stored under the surface of the earth, and this same energy creates hot springs. It is more sustainable than burning fossil fuels, such as diesel, for energy, as it releases a fraction of the greenhouse gases that fossil fuels do. Geothermal energy is only extractable from places in the world with specific conditions, the greater Virunga mountain region being one of them.
The Karisimbi geothermal project is one of four geothermal prospects in Rwanda; the other three locations are Kinigi in Musanze, Gisenyi in Rubavu and Bugarama in Rusizi. Each location will have multiple drilling sites. Research findings have shown that these locations may potentially have enough geothermal energy to satisfy the entire country's energy needs.
The start of drilling at Karisimbi is a big achievement after a long process of infrastructure renovation, research, prospecting, and drilling installation to ensure that it will be safe and reliable.
The geothermal drilling became possible after a pipeline was laid to Karago Lake, located 19 kilometers away, to provide the 2000 liters of water per minute needed.
The project will last six months, with the drills working 24 hours a day. The project if fully funded by the government.
These first six months of drilling are exploratory, to test the ground to ensure that geothermal energy is available and suitable to extract. Also during this time, engineers will decide the exact equipment needed to extract that energy. Geologists will be testing the ground every two meters to identify the probability of successful energy extraction and will be designing a wellhead, which is determined according to the specific kind of energy available.
Ntare Karitanyi, the director general of the Energy Water, and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), assured the public that in six months, Rwanda's geothermal energy availability will be confirmed, and a year after confirmation, a wellhead will be installed to supply geothermal energy to the country.
At the official drilling launch on Thursday, the State Minister in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Emma Francoise Isumbingabo, explained that the government has taken risks with this project: although research shows that the geothermal energy may be available on the selected sites, there is no guarantee that the geothermal energy is available or is easily extractable, although she said there is reason to be optimistic.
"There is a hope that this project will be successful. Research shows that in ten drilling sites, at least seven have potential for geothermal energy extraction."
Isumbingabo's claim is supported by officials from the Great Wall Drilling Company (GWDC), a company from China that is constructing drilling site in Karisimbi. They explained that ten years ago, only three of the ten sites would be accessible for drilling, but with the development of new technology, seven out of ten can be successfully drilled.
The Karisimbi geothermal project is being supervised by Reykjavik Goertherm Company (RG), a private company from Iceland. Many countries around the world, including Kenya, have identified geothermal energy as the sustainable, cheap, and a better environmental alternative to fossil fuels. The Karisimbi geothermal project will cost $21 million.