Rwanda: Reducing the Vulnerability of Rwanda's Energy Sector to the Impacts of Climate Change

Pilot Project Profile

In recent years, Rwanda has experienced declining river flows and consequent decreases in production from its hydro-power facilities—the country's main source of electricity. Climate change is expected to exacerbate this situation, further weakening Rwanda's energy security. In response, the project is working with local partners to increase the resilience of Rwanda's energy sector through field and policy-level interventions.

At the field level, the project is focused on enhancing the productive capacity of two hydro-power stations (Ntaruka and Mukungwa) in Northern Province. Together these stations have a productive capacity of 23.5MW but are presently only producing about one-quarter of this amount. Working in three villages located within the watershed that feeds these stations, the team is: establishing nurseries of climate-resilient species; promoting agro-forestry techniques; constructing radical and progressive terraces to reduce soil erosion; introducing water harvesting techniques; promoting the use of fuel-efficient stoves; and constructing household biogas units. The project will also work to integrate climate change considerations into the management and operation of the hydro-power stations themselves.

At the policy level, the project is promoting changes in the content and implementation of national energy, land, agriculture and environment policies that will safeguard the long-term sustainability of hydro-power-use in the country and region. The potential use of Payments for Ecosystem Services to protect the watershed that feeds the Ntaruka and Mukungwa hydro-power stations and reduce vulnerability to climate change is being investigated. The project will also work to increase sector-authority awareness of how to integrate knowledge about climate change into performance contracts.

Local Executing Agency: Centre for Innovations and Technology Transfer (CITT), Kigali Institute for Science and Technology (KIST)

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Last Updated: 1 October 1, 2007