Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KIGALI531
2009-08-27 05:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kigali
Cable title:
RWANDA PUSHING FOR "CLEAN AND GREEN" ENERGY
how-toP 270531Z AUG 09 FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6261 INFO AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY
UNCLAS KIGALI 000531
EEB JOAN WADELTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ENRG ETRD RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA PUSHING FOR "CLEAN AND GREEN" ENERGY
REF: KIGALI 141
UNCLAS KIGALI 000531
EEB JOAN WADELTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ENRG ETRD RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA PUSHING FOR "CLEAN AND GREEN" ENERGY
REF: KIGALI 141
1. (U) SUMMARY: The Government of Rwanda (GOR) is pressing
forward with development of diversified renewable energy
sources to satisfy the majority of its power generation needs
by 2012. Methane gas from Lake Kivu, hydroelectric and
geothermal power will provide the bulk of its "on the grid"
electrical needs, but solar and biogas will also play a key
role in providing light, cooking fuel and power to more
remote rural areas. Power efficient appliances and lighting
will help reduce consumption. Already, 80 percent of wood
fuel comes from "renewable" forests. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) During an August 15-19 visit, EEB Senior Economic
Advisor Joan Wadelton met with government officials, health
clinics, entrepreneurs and NGOs to learn more about Rwanda's
progress in developing renewable energy. Government
officials in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) told
her they are working to make Rwanda 100 percent "clean and
green" by 2012. The officials acknowledged that 45 percent
of the country's current 69 MW power production comes from
diesel and heavy fuel generators, but said they hoped to
replace this capacity with hydroelectric and clean burning
methane power by 2012.
Rwanda on Track to Clean and Green Power
--------------
3. (U) MININFRA Donor Coordinator Eva Paul told Wadelton
Rwanda is on track to achieve its energy goals and that "the
political will is there." United States-based Contour Global
is working to extract methane gas accumulating in Lake Kivu
to provide 100MW of power to the national grid by 2012
(reftel). Paul said methane is "renewing" at a rate of 15
percent annually and added that new investment in follow-on
Lake Kivu methane projects could add an additional 200 MW
within five years. Construction of two new hydroelectric
plants will add 37MW to the national grid within three years.
Additionally, the governments of Rwanda, the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC),Burundi and Tanzania are planning
additional multinational hydro projects in Rusizi and Rusumo,
she said.
4. (U) Rwanda's geothermal potential is still in the
exploratory stage but initial tests indicate strong potential
in the Northern Province around Volcanoes National Park.
Paul explained that Kenyan-Kengen has discovered "reservoirs"
at above 150 degrees centigrade at depths of 4,000 meters.
She added that initial surveys indicate the reservoirs are
commercially viable.
Cow Power
--------------
5. (U) Addressing "off grid" energy needs, the GOR has begun
to supply 150,000 rural families with biogas digesters fed by
cow dung and household waste. The digesters generate enough
methane gas to power cook stoves and gas lights. The gas can
also be used to power small refrigerators. MININFRA Senior
Advisor Gerard Hendriksen explained that Rwanda has already
equipped all of its prisons with biogas digesters and plans
to install similar equipment in the country's secondary
schools. Hendriksen added that 80 percent of Rwanda's
cooking fuel currently comes from "reforested" eucalyptus
wood but that biogas has health and convenience advantages
over wood fuel.
6. (U) NGOs and development agencies such as USAID are
assisting the GOR electrify off-grid health clinics and
administrative centers with solar power. Although only 6
percent of the population currently has access to the
national power grid, the GOR plans to electrify all health
clinics and administrative centers by 2012 using solar power
where necessary. The government also wants to set up "solar
hubs" in rural areas that would provide power to rural
communities by charging batteries that could be used to light
homes at night.
American Entrepreneurs Lead the Charge
--------------
7. (U) American entrepreneurs are taking the lead in
providing solar power solutions to rural communities. Sam
Dargan, CEO of Great Lakes Solar Energy, told Wadelton he was
interested in providing solar appliances to rural
communities--not for social or conservation reasons--but
because it was profitable. Dargan explained that most rural
communities in Central Africa were desperate for light and
basic solar powered appliances such as cell phone chargers.
He estimated the market for such appliances to be nine
million consumers in Rwanda alone. Dargan noted that
solar-powered lights sold at $20 were much cheaper than
kerosene lights, which typically cost a family $10 per month
in kerosene.
8. (U) Josh Kefauver, COO of United States-based Manna
Energy, is working with the GOR to equip rural communities
and secondary schools with solar powered water purifiers
using ultraviolet light to kill harmful bacteria. Manna
Energy hopes to earn a 20 percent return on investment by
cashing in carbon credits earned by using solar power--rather
than traditional wood-burning stoves--to purify water. Manna
Energy will also equip secondary schools with fuel-efficient
cooking stoves that will reduce wood consumption by 70
percent, Kefauver said.
Donor Good Intentions Not Always Helpful
--------------
9. (U) Both government officials and entrepreneurs told
Wadelton that successful renewable energy projects must have
a private sector market orientation to be sustainable.
Dargan noted that most "donor" models were not
market-oriented and that as a result donors were not "held
accountable" for poor product design or service. Dargan,
citing an example of donor-provided solar powered cell phone
chargers to health care workers, said such practices made it
more difficult for him to sell similar products for a profit.
Free donor-provided resources have inhibited private sector
investment in renewable energy, he stated.
Regulatory Environment Crucial
--------------
10. (U) Anthony Simm, Executive Manager for Stadtwerke Mainz
(a German company operating the largest solar array in
Rwanda--or Africa) told Wadelton the right "regulatory"
environment was crucial to encouraging investment in
renewable energy. Simm explained that solar energy could not
compete with fossil fuel power at current prices if the local
regulatory authority did not factor in the non-commercial
benefits of solar power--such as diversifying energy sources
and reducing carbon emissions. Simm said the high up-front
installation costs of solar power could take twenty-thirty
years to pay off, unless the regulatory authority offered
subsidies or tax incentives to encourage such investment.
11. (U) COMMENT: Rwanda is moving rapidly and thoughtfully
towards a "clean and green" energy future. Encouragement of
the private sector will be crucial to insure the effort
maintains its pace and is sustainable. Careful
implementation of regulatory measures encouraging investment
in green energy could help. Donors, in their eagerness to
develop Rwanda, should be careful not to distort the emerging
market for renewable energy products by giving them away for
free when there is a private sector option.
12. (U) Senior Economic Advisor Joan Wadelton has not cleared
on this cable.
SYMINGTON
EEB JOAN WADELTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ENRG ETRD RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA PUSHING FOR "CLEAN AND GREEN" ENERGY
REF: KIGALI 141
1. (U) SUMMARY: The Government of Rwanda (GOR) is pressing
forward with development of diversified renewable energy
sources to satisfy the majority of its power generation needs
by 2012. Methane gas from Lake Kivu, hydroelectric and
geothermal power will provide the bulk of its "on the grid"
electrical needs, but solar and biogas will also play a key
role in providing light, cooking fuel and power to more
remote rural areas. Power efficient appliances and lighting
will help reduce consumption. Already, 80 percent of wood
fuel comes from "renewable" forests. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) During an August 15-19 visit, EEB Senior Economic
Advisor Joan Wadelton met with government officials, health
clinics, entrepreneurs and NGOs to learn more about Rwanda's
progress in developing renewable energy. Government
officials in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) told
her they are working to make Rwanda 100 percent "clean and
green" by 2012. The officials acknowledged that 45 percent
of the country's current 69 MW power production comes from
diesel and heavy fuel generators, but said they hoped to
replace this capacity with hydroelectric and clean burning
methane power by 2012.
Rwanda on Track to Clean and Green Power
--------------
3. (U) MININFRA Donor Coordinator Eva Paul told Wadelton
Rwanda is on track to achieve its energy goals and that "the
political will is there." United States-based Contour Global
is working to extract methane gas accumulating in Lake Kivu
to provide 100MW of power to the national grid by 2012
(reftel). Paul said methane is "renewing" at a rate of 15
percent annually and added that new investment in follow-on
Lake Kivu methane projects could add an additional 200 MW
within five years. Construction of two new hydroelectric
plants will add 37MW to the national grid within three years.
Additionally, the governments of Rwanda, the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC),Burundi and Tanzania are planning
additional multinational hydro projects in Rusizi and Rusumo,
she said.
4. (U) Rwanda's geothermal potential is still in the
exploratory stage but initial tests indicate strong potential
in the Northern Province around Volcanoes National Park.
Paul explained that Kenyan-Kengen has discovered "reservoirs"
at above 150 degrees centigrade at depths of 4,000 meters.
She added that initial surveys indicate the reservoirs are
commercially viable.
Cow Power
--------------
5. (U) Addressing "off grid" energy needs, the GOR has begun
to supply 150,000 rural families with biogas digesters fed by
cow dung and household waste. The digesters generate enough
methane gas to power cook stoves and gas lights. The gas can
also be used to power small refrigerators. MININFRA Senior
Advisor Gerard Hendriksen explained that Rwanda has already
equipped all of its prisons with biogas digesters and plans
to install similar equipment in the country's secondary
schools. Hendriksen added that 80 percent of Rwanda's
cooking fuel currently comes from "reforested" eucalyptus
wood but that biogas has health and convenience advantages
over wood fuel.
6. (U) NGOs and development agencies such as USAID are
assisting the GOR electrify off-grid health clinics and
administrative centers with solar power. Although only 6
percent of the population currently has access to the
national power grid, the GOR plans to electrify all health
clinics and administrative centers by 2012 using solar power
where necessary. The government also wants to set up "solar
hubs" in rural areas that would provide power to rural
communities by charging batteries that could be used to light
homes at night.
American Entrepreneurs Lead the Charge
--------------
7. (U) American entrepreneurs are taking the lead in
providing solar power solutions to rural communities. Sam
Dargan, CEO of Great Lakes Solar Energy, told Wadelton he was
interested in providing solar appliances to rural
communities--not for social or conservation reasons--but
because it was profitable. Dargan explained that most rural
communities in Central Africa were desperate for light and
basic solar powered appliances such as cell phone chargers.
He estimated the market for such appliances to be nine
million consumers in Rwanda alone. Dargan noted that
solar-powered lights sold at $20 were much cheaper than
kerosene lights, which typically cost a family $10 per month
in kerosene.
8. (U) Josh Kefauver, COO of United States-based Manna
Energy, is working with the GOR to equip rural communities
and secondary schools with solar powered water purifiers
using ultraviolet light to kill harmful bacteria. Manna
Energy hopes to earn a 20 percent return on investment by
cashing in carbon credits earned by using solar power--rather
than traditional wood-burning stoves--to purify water. Manna
Energy will also equip secondary schools with fuel-efficient
cooking stoves that will reduce wood consumption by 70
percent, Kefauver said.
Donor Good Intentions Not Always Helpful
--------------
9. (U) Both government officials and entrepreneurs told
Wadelton that successful renewable energy projects must have
a private sector market orientation to be sustainable.
Dargan noted that most "donor" models were not
market-oriented and that as a result donors were not "held
accountable" for poor product design or service. Dargan,
citing an example of donor-provided solar powered cell phone
chargers to health care workers, said such practices made it
more difficult for him to sell similar products for a profit.
Free donor-provided resources have inhibited private sector
investment in renewable energy, he stated.
Regulatory Environment Crucial
--------------
10. (U) Anthony Simm, Executive Manager for Stadtwerke Mainz
(a German company operating the largest solar array in
Rwanda--or Africa) told Wadelton the right "regulatory"
environment was crucial to encouraging investment in
renewable energy. Simm explained that solar energy could not
compete with fossil fuel power at current prices if the local
regulatory authority did not factor in the non-commercial
benefits of solar power--such as diversifying energy sources
and reducing carbon emissions. Simm said the high up-front
installation costs of solar power could take twenty-thirty
years to pay off, unless the regulatory authority offered
subsidies or tax incentives to encourage such investment.
11. (U) COMMENT: Rwanda is moving rapidly and thoughtfully
towards a "clean and green" energy future. Encouragement of
the private sector will be crucial to insure the effort
maintains its pace and is sustainable. Careful
implementation of regulatory measures encouraging investment
in green energy could help. Donors, in their eagerness to
develop Rwanda, should be careful not to distort the emerging
market for renewable energy products by giving them away for
free when there is a private sector option.
12. (U) Senior Economic Advisor Joan Wadelton has not cleared
on this cable.
SYMINGTON