Senior representatives of governments from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday endorsed in Kinshasa one of the long-awaited joint Rusizi III Hydropower Plant Project with a capacity to generate 144 MW power by 2026, an official source disclosed to APA in Kigali.The implementation of the project which is is established in Rusizi, a district in southwestern Rwanda on the border with DR Congo and Burundi will be carried out at a total cost of $625.19 million of which $138.88 million will be provided by the African Development Bank, it said.
According to Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure, Claver Gatete, the Rusizi III Hydropower Plant Project is the first regional energy project in East Africa to be formed as a public-private partnership (PPP).
The minister observed the ceremonies being signed in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, between the three nations.
DRC was represented by the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, while Come Manirakiza represented Burundi as the Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines.
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2021 and according to the same source, the project is due to be completed in 2026.
Its application was assigned to the Great Lakes Energy Organization (EGL), a sub- regional body that coordinates energy development in East Africa
Its application is now feasible thanks to financing from multiple donors, including the French Development Agency (ADF), the European Investment Bank and the European Union.
Nearly 20 percent of the funds have been mobilized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) since 2015.
These new installations will provide an independent source of green energy, helping DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi meet their increasing energy requirements, reports said.