Lake Kivu methane extraction project aims to generate electricity

The KivuWatt project is extracting methane from the depths of Lake Kivu, located between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to generate electricity. The lake contains approximately 62 km³ of methane and 300 km³ of carbon dioxide trapped beneath a permanent density stratification layer.

This extraction process aims to produce between 500 and 700 MW of electricity over a 25-year period. The project manages a significant geological risk; the lake's deep gases have remained stable for centuries, but a sudden release could lead to a limnic eruption. Such an event is compared to the 1986 Lake Nyos disaster in Cameroon, where a massive release of carbon dioxide asphyxiated over 1,700 people. Approximately two million people live in the immediate vicinity of Lake Kivu, including near the cities of Goma and Gisenyi.