The government of Burundi is planning to construct new hydropower and solar energy plants. The energy ministry has invited interest from consulting firms for a feasibility study on 11 possible locations. The deadline for submissions is 2 May.

The proposed sites for the hydro plants are Masango and Nyakijanda in the centre of Burundi, Nyengwe in the south, Muyovozi in the southeast, and Ruzibazi in the central west.

The sites for the solar facilities are Nyanza in the south, where a 10MW plant is planned to be built, and Cankuzo in the central east, where two 10MW facilities are proposed.

The projects are expected to be undertaken as the public-private partnerships (PPP).

Meanwhile, two renewables projects – the Jiji and Mulembwe hydroelectric plants – are nearing completion in Burundi.

As of December 2023, construction of the hydropower facilities in Bururi province had reached 73% completion, while the substations and transmission lines had reached 82% and 78% respectively. The plants are being built about 3.8km apart.

National utility Regideso has invited interest from consultancies by 22 April for a contract to support the operation and maintenance of the facilities. The planned start date for services is set for November 2024.

The Jiji plant will have a capacity of 31.5MW and a 13.5-metre-high dam, while the Mulembwe facility will have a capacity of 17MW with a dam 14 metres high.

The project includes the construction of four new substations – Jiji, Lulembwe, Horezo and Kabezi – and the extension of three existing ones (Gihosha/RN1, Bujumbura South and Itaba), in addition to the installation of 107.2km of transmission lines and 62.4km of distribution lines.

The contractors for the hydropower facilities are Egypt’s Orascom and Italy’s CMC. The substation work is being carried out by French group VTTE-SDEL ELEXA, while India’s KEC International is installing the transmission lines. Austria’s ANDRITZ Hydro supplied the turbines and electro-mechnical equipment.

The World Bank, European Investment Bank, the EU and African Development Bank (AfDB) are funding the project, the total cost of which is estimated at US$357.8 million.

The project has been more than a decade in the making, having been approved for World Bank funding in 2014. It has encountered multiple delays and cost overruns during construction. The overall scheme is set to be completed by June 2026.

The government of Burundi is targeting universal access to electricity by 2030. Currently, just 13% of the country's 13 million population has access to electricity. In rural areas, the figure is even lower at 2%.