Power Play: Why New Hydroelectric Dams Aren’t Enough to Stabilize the Grid

The government of Burundi has commissioned three hydroelectric dams, at Ruzibazi (15 MW), Rusumo Falls interconnection (26.5 MW) and Kabu 16 (20 MW). The population was hoping for an end to untimely power cuts, but the imbalance between supply and demand for electricity continues to worsen power cuts and service interruptions. Burundi’s electricity network also suffers from dilapidated infrastructure.

Despite the commissioning of new hydroelectric dams, the electricity distribution network remains unstable. (Photo of the new KABU16 hydroelectric dam)

More than 50 MW have been added to Burundi’s electricity grid over the past two years. This is exactly 26.5 MW from the Rusumo Falls regional dam built on the Kagera River, 20 MW produced by the Kabu 16 hydroelectric dam and 15 MW poured into the electricity grid since July 2022 from the Ruzibazi hydroelectric dam. The commissioning of these hydroelectric plants marks the beginning of what officials in the ministry responsible for energy describe as the “Renaissance of the energy sector in Burundi” and has given hope to a population weary of interventions service.

The construction of these hydroelectric plants is part of the initiatives carried out by the government of Burundi in collaboration with its partners to address the lack of energy. However, it is difficult to assess their effects on the ground. The imbalance between supply and growing demand for energy is leading to increasingly frequent power cuts.

As a reminder, Regideso estimated that in 2023 the country had an installed generation capacity of around 90 MW, of which only around 49 MW was installed hydroelectric capacity. The rest of the installed capacity came from thermal power plants operated by Regideso totaling 41 MW including 30 MW served by the company Interpetrol thanks to a contract signed with this national company, but it had to be terminated according to the some who make decisions, because the purchase the cost was high.

Therefore energy production remains insufficient. World Bank data reveals that the national electrification rate is 12% of the population with a significant difference between access rates in urban and rural areas. Experts cite a need for 1000 MW to meet the energy demand in Burundi.

The dilapidated electrical infrastructure makes the situation worse

Apart from the country’s low electrification rate, Burundi’s energy sector suffers from the obsolescence of the electricity network infrastructure. The latter experience high technical and commercial losses and frequent interruptions in supply. Explanations confirmed by Ibrahim Uwizeye, the minister in charge of energy: “The network is dilapidated and sometimes it does not cope well with the transport of electricity,” he explained to the representatives of the people before promising that the Burundian government is planning, with the help from its development partners, to rehabilitate inactive hydroelectric power stations and improve electricity transport and distribution networks.

The poor quality of the electricity service jeopardizes the country’s economic growth opportunities. The Water and Electricity Production and Distribution Authority (Regideso) has not invested enough in the maintenance and rehabilitation of the electricity distribution network. Which leads to poor service quality and significantly lower demand satisfaction. Currently, households and industries are forced to rely on diesel generators, which cost more and are affected by fuel shortages, hampering production as well as consumption.

LWill salvation come from the Ascension project?

Regideso plans to start rehabilitating the electricity distribution network in and around Bujumbura next January with funding of 190 million USD from the World Bank and other partners.

According to Jean Albert Manigomba, Director General of Regideso, the project will address the challenges associated with untimely power cuts in Burundi and will also solve the problem of poor quality of electricity services. The project will also support key reforms through performance-based conditions on tariff structure, electricity connection policy and network standards to remove barriers to electrification and ensure the sustainability of long-term investments.

The implementation of this project is an asset for Burundian investors who identify the lack of access to electricity and the reliability of the network as major obstacles to investment. Frequent inconvenient load shedding, dilapidated and/or non-existent distribution network and connection facilities hamper economic development.

Towards the emergence of energy?

Apart from the recently commissioned hydroelectric plants, the government also plans to pour about 50 MW into Burundi’s electricity network from the Jiji-Mulembwe hydroelectric dam, the construction of which will be completed soon. Burundi will have more than 100 MW extra. And to cope with the scarcity of energy resources and therefore support sustainable development, the government of Burundi has encouraged private sector actors to participate in the production and supply of electricity to meet demand. Among the reforms implemented to encourage the private sector to invest in the energy sector are the promulgation of the law to reorganize the electricity sector in Burundi in 2015 to allow the liberalization of the energy sector and the publication of a decree establishing the Regideso statutes. in November 2023 which recommends the competitive recruitment of the management committee of this body, the validation and launch of the country’s electrification strategy.

These efforts made by the government of Burundi are beginning to bear fruit with the aim of reducing the energy deficit. The private sector is looking to invest in the energy sector. In addition, public-private partnership contracts have been signed. This is how in 2023, a 7.5 MW thermal power plant was built by the company Gigawatt Global on Mirama hill in the community and state of Gitega. Other private players such as Weza Power and Kirasa Energy are involved in energy production in Burundi.

However, investors embracing the energy field face low electricity consumption in Burundi, ie 24.5 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year per household, which is one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. They have difficulty maintaining their energy infrastructure. Nevertheless, the role of the private sector in achieving the objective of universal access to energy remains essential.

On the one hand, the government of Burundi intends to ensure universal access to energy in 2030. On the other hand, the National Development Plan 2018-2027 provides that the energy production capacity will be equal to 400 MW in 2027 when production Current energy is about 120 MW.