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Three North American companies have been selected by the Congolese government to exploit gas from Lake Kivu in eastern DRC, Hydrocarbons Minister Didier Budimbu announced early on Monday, January 16. In July, the DRC launched calls for tenders for 27 oil blocks and three gas blocks in the Lake Kivu area. The lake would contain 66 billion cubic meters of gas.
Thirteen companies had applied to exploit methane from Lake Kivu. In the end, three won the blocks offered by the government. The American Symbion will develop the block of Makelele. The Canadian Alfajiri that of Lwandjofu and the Texan Winds Exploration and Production, that of Idjwi. These three blocks cover most of the Congolese part of Lake Kivu.
Electrification of the east of the country
The exploitation of the methane contained in the lake is both a safety issue, since this gas causes fatal accidents when it rises to the surface, but it is also an electrification issue for the eastern provinces. . In this area, Rwanda has already taken the lead, with the Kivuwatt power station operational since 2015.
The DRC hopes to quickly follow the same path. In this regard, the project, which concerns the fourth block of the lake, provides for the construction of a 30 MW power plant to supply the city of Goma and its two million inhabitants. The project has been delayed, but Tunisian operator EPPM says work will start this year.
►Also read : The sale of oil blocks in the DRC, a threat to Congolese timber? (November 2, 2022)