Rwanda plans to use methane gas for cooking due to high oil prices.

Rwanda plans to use methane gas from Lake Kivu for cooking in early 2028, according to Jean de Dieu Oyhangane, Rwandan Minister of State for Infrastructure.

This announcement comes amid rising cooking gas prices in the country. For example, the price of a 12 kg LPG cylinder has increased from 21,000 Rwandan francs to around 30,000 Rwandan francs.

Extracting compressed natural gas from Lake Kivu for cooking purposes is part of the country’s strategy to mitigate the effects of rising oil prices, especially in light of the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.

Rwanda will begin cooking using methane gas.

Oihangani stated: “Even when this war ends, there will still be aftereffects, and therefore long-term measures are needed. Rwanda will begin cooking using gas extracted from Lake Kivu in the first quarter of 2028.”.

Once production and distribution begin, priority will be given to institutions that consume large amounts of energy, such as schools, which alone account for 45 percent of the country's total firewood use, according to the Ministry of Environment.

Construction of a compressed natural gas production plant

Construction also began in 2022 on a multi-million dollar plant to produce compressed natural gas for cooking, vehicles and industrial use from methane gas found in Lake Kivu.

The project is expected to produce 40 million standard cubic feet per day, equivalent to 990,000 cubic meters per day, and between 35 and 40 percent of this quantity will be allocated to cooking gas.

Lake Kivu contains an estimated 60-70 cubic kilometers of methane gas, of which 44.7 cubic kilometers are recoverable. The lake's methane is currently used for power generation. Despite these efforts, firewood remains the primary energy source in rural areas, with 93 percent of households still relying on it.