Work has started on what will be Burundi’s biggest hydro-electric power station, designed to supply 20 megawatts of electricity to a country which will require at least 270 megawatts to develop economically, PANA reports.
Only an estimated 2 per cent of the population in Burundi have access to electricity, PANA learnt.
The station is being built on the River Kaburantwa in the north-western part of the country.
According to the PANA report, the project which will last a little more than four years will be finance with a loan of US$ 80 million, granted by the Indian government.
The project is also being undertaken by an Indian firm — Angelique International Limited.
The biggest hydro-electric power station, launched in the 1980s, supplies about 18 megawatts of electricity.
When completed, the new power station on the River Kaburantwa is expected to match demands for electricity.
supply that have increased this summer in Burundi, due to the combined effects of
The prevalent poor rainy season and obsolete equipment have affected the quantity of power in the country.
Meanwhile, the Burundian government said it will source more funding to develop small power stations on the five big rivers of the country for a total of 97 Megawatts.
