Burundi has several energy projects. Some of them like Kabu 16 and Rusumo falls are starting to be injected into the national power grid. Regideso promises that this injection is enough to be able to find a solution to the problem of untimely power cuts in the economic capital and elsewhere in the country in 2 weeks. Wouldn’t the obsolescence of the national network have something to do with it?
The ministry responsible for energy plans to rehabilitate the national electricity network and the cost of this rehabilitation amounts to 200 million USD.
“In two weeks, there will be no more untimely power cuts, but there may be breakdowns in one or another locality in the country or neighborhood due to the obsolescence of our equipment. In the event of breakdowns, we ask our kind customers to report it to Regideso so that they can be repaired as quickly as possible,” said Ir Jean Albert Manigomba, Director General of Regideso during a press conference that he hosted this Thursday June 6, 2024.
As he explains, in addition to the existing electricity, the electricity from the Kabu16 power plant has just been injected into the national network. This energy will be gradually injected into the national grid until the planned production capacity of 20MW is reached.
Electric current was also injected from the Rusumo Falls hydroelectric dam. A dam which will contribute 27 MW to the national network. And Manigomba clarified that a breakdown that occurred at this dam will soon be repaired and Burundi will be able to take full advantage of the latter.
200 million USD to rehabilitate the national electricity network
If the injection of electric current from these hydroelectric plants finds a solution to the energy deficit, there still remains a serious problem linked to the dilapidation of the national electricity network. And there we would be talking about the underground cables which date from the 60s and which need to be replaced according to Regideso officials. Apart from the fact that they can no longer support the high quantities of energy injected into it, this obsolescence sometimes leads to energy losses, according to the ministry responsible for energy.
On February 7, 2024 at the National Assembly, Ibrahim Uwizeye, the Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines specified that to overcome this major challenge, this ministry intends to rehabilitate the national electricity network. And the cost of this rehabilitation amounts to 200 million USD. Which amount is not provided for in the budget of this ministry, but which it hopes to have thanks to the support of various development partners.
A rehabilitation that is worth it
It has been a while since the population of certain neighborhoods of the economic capital Bujumbura have been victims of untimely power cuts. Most neighborhoods go several hours a day without electricity for some while for others it’s a matter of days. This is not without consequences on the national economy, because they handicap the various economic activities requiring this cornerstone of development.
These untimely outages worry all users of electricity, whether mega industries or small users whose survival depends largely on the availability of electricity. These include welders, cafeteria managers, hair salons, etc. to quote only those. An uncomfortable situation, especially since these untimely cuts occur at a time when diesel, which constitutes an alternative to electric current for some, is becoming more scarce.
According to statistics from the ministry responsible for energy, the country’s electrification rate currently stands at 15.3% and, according to forecasts, it will be at least 70% in 2030.
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