Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited

What Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited does

Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited (SPLK) is a Rwandan Independent Power Producer (IPP) that develops and operates the Kivu56 methane gas-to-power project on Lake Kivu in western Rwanda. Founded in 2014 after winning a competitive tender from the Government of Rwanda, the company extracts dissolved methane gas from the deep waters of Lake Kivu and converts it into electricity using 19 Caterpillar biogas generator sets with a combined installed capacity of 56 MW. The company serves a single off-taker — Rwanda Energy Utility Corporation Limited (EUCL) — under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed in December 2015 and amended in March 2019, with power evacuated into Rwanda's national grid via a 220 kV transmission line. The company achieved its Commercial Operations Date on 17 February 2024, nearly a decade after project award, following a delayed construction period affected by COVID-19 and a major design setback related to the mooring of offshore separators.

The underlying technology combines offshore gas extraction infrastructure with onshore power generation. Four Gas Extraction Facility (GEF) Barges are positioned approximately 5.5 km offshore on Lake Kivu, each connected to two Free-Standing Separators (FRSS) that extract pressurized methane at 20 meters below lake level. The gas is piped onshore to wash-water towers that remove CO2 and impurities before feeding the generator sets. The mooring system — designed for 440-meter water depth with 4-meter placement accuracy using 4,000 tons of steel anchors and a purpose-built Damen CeeBee 1 construction barge — required redesign by SIGMA Marine after the original concept proved inadequate. Submarine cables were supplied by Hengtong Group and the 19 biogas generators by Caterpillar, each rated at 3.790 MWe and tolerant of methane content as low as 65%.

SPLK generates revenue exclusively through electricity sales to EUCL under the long-term PPA, with payments tied to installed capacity and dispatch availability rather than volumetric output, targeting 95% dispatch availability. The company is privately held by Highland Power Limited, an investment vehicle controlled by Lord Irvine Laidlaw, which acquired 100% of the project entity in February 2019 and funded construction from balance-sheet resources. SPLK also holds the KP1 Project, a separate 50 MW grid power plant development based on Concession #1 that it intends to develop as a follow-on. The operating model is asset-heavy infrastructure with no marketing or multi-channel distribution; the company maintains a corporate website (splk.co.rw) for stakeholder communication and tendering processes.

Name

Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited

Legal name

Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited

Website

https://splk.co.rw

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited is a Rwandan Independent Power Producer that extracts methane gas from Lake Kivu and generates 56 MW of electricity under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement with state utility EUCL for delivery into Rwanda's national grid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Power Generation

NAICS

Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation (221112)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Gas-to-Power Project Development (IPP/CPP, Permitting, Financing) (EUALALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Captive & Embedded Gas-Fired Power Generation (Industrial/Commercial CHP) (EUALALAB), Gas-Fired Power Plant O&M and Life-Extension/Repowering Services (EUACABAJ)

Keywords

• Methane gas power
• Independent power producer
• Gas-to-power generation
• Renewable energy Rwanda
• Biogas electricity generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Rubavu District

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales: The company generates revenue by selling electricity produced from methane gas extraction from Lake Kivu to EUCL (Rwanda Energy Utility Corporation Limited) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement. Revenue is based on electricity generation capacity and dispatch availability, with a target of 95% dispatch availability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited extracts methane gas from Lake Kivu in Rwanda using offshore Gas Extraction Facility (GEF) Barges and Free-Standing Separators, processes the gas onshore through wash-water towers to remove CO2, and generates 56MW of electricity using nineteen Caterpillar biogas generator sets. All generated electricity is sold to the Rwanda Energy Utility Corporation Limited (EUCL) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement, with power delivered to Rwanda's national grid via a 220kV transmission line. The company is also developing the KP1 Project, a separate 50MW expansion under Concession #1.

Product overview

Shema Power Lake Kivu Ltd operates a unified methane gas-to-power generation system comprising offshore gas extraction infrastructure and an onshore power plant. The Kivu56 Project forms the core offering, featuring four offshore GEF Barges with Free-Standing Separators (FRSS) that extract methane gas from Lake Kivu at depths of 20 meters, transport it via export pipelines to onshore wash-water towers for processing, and feed nineteen Caterpillar biogas gensets (totaling approximately 76MW gross, 56MW net) connected to the national grid. The company also holds the KP1 Project, a separate 50MW development derived from the original pilot plant that validated the methane gas-to-power concept.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kivu56 Methane Gas to Power Project A 56MW methane extraction and gas-to-power generation facility on Lake Kivu, Rwanda, consisting of offshore gas extraction using GEF Barges and FRSS units, an onshore gas processing plant with wash-water towers, and a 19-engine Caterpillar biogas genset power plant delivering electricity to EUCL under a 25-year PPA.
• KP1 Project (Concession #1 Development) A planned 50MW grid power plant development under Concession #1, based on assets acquired by SPLK's holding company SPM from KP1 Assets. The KP1 Project was the initial pilot plant that proved the Methane Gas to Power concept on Lake Kivu.
• Offshore Gas Extraction System (Gas Plant) Four GEF Barges located 5.5 km offshore on Lake Kivu, each connected to two Free-Standing Separators (FRSS) units, with submarine export pipelines and onshore wash-water towers for CO2 and impurity removal. The system extracts pressurized methane gas at 20 meters below lake level.
• Onshore Biogas Power Plant

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 MW of installed generation capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Fair ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal Rwandese contractor appointed to undertake civil and earthworks of the site. Operated under difficult circumstances during heavy rainy season. Civil works on gas plant substantially complete by December 2020. Project engaged local contractors with view to engage them once plant goes into operations for upskilling purposes.
• Galil EngineeringmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGas Plant Contractor for the Kivu 56 project. Established site in August 2020 and responsible for offshore gas export line welding and gas plant construction. Part of construction update showing progress on wash water towers and separators.
• DamenmajorOthersManufactured the CeeBee 1 construction barge capable of placing individual 100-ton anchors at 440 meter depth with 4-meter accuracy.
• Hengtong GroupmajorOthersSupplier of submarine cables for the project as mentioned in construction progress July 2020.
• Global Power SystemsminorOthersListed as contractor site establishment container supplier for Kivu 56 project.
• Control GearminorOthersListed as contractor site establishment container supplier for Kivu 56 project, based in South Africa.
• SIGMA MarinemajorTechnology or IntegrationAppointed to carry out redesign of Free-Standing Separators (FRSS) mooring system after initial design did not work as required. Conceptual design approved in May 2022 and detail design commenced.
• CaterpillarmajorOthersSupplier of 19 biogas generator sets for the power plant, each with technical capacity of 3.790 MWe at site conditions, capable of running on gas with minimum 65% CH4 content.
• Laidlaw FoundationminorOthersLord Irvine Laidlaw chairs the Laidlaw Foundation which invests in education of underprivileged and underrepresented. Not directly involved in SPLK operations but affiliated through Lord Laidlaw's investment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Broad incumbents

• ContourGlobal: ContourGlobal is a London-listed IPP with a portfolio of thermal and renewable assets across Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It is the parent of KivuWatt, making it a direct corporate-level peer to SPLK / Highland Power in the African gas-to-power IPP space.
• Globeleq: Globeleq is a UK-based IPP focused on sub-Saharan Africa, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of power generation assets. It is comparable to SPLK as an African-focused IPP with multi-country ambition and similar long-term PPA structures with national utilities.
• Aggreko: Aggreko is a global leader in temporary and modular power generation, including gas-fired solutions for utilities and industrial customers. Its IPP/temporary power model and use of gas engine technology (Caterpillar, Wärtsilä) align with SPLK's gas genset architecture.
• Symbion Energy: Symbion Energy is a US-based distributed power generation company with operations in Africa and Asia. SPLK was originally named Symbion Power Lake Kivu and the capital was acquired through Symbion Power Mauritius Ltd, making Symbion a directly related IPP peer in the gas-to-power and African distributed generation space.

Direct peers

• KivuWatt: KivuWatt is the other major methane gas-to-power operator on Lake Kivu, developed by ContourGlobal. It is the closest direct peer to SPLK, operating the same resource, same technology profile, and targeting the same Rwandan off-taker (EUCL) under its own PPA.

Regional players

• Kengen: Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is the largest power producer in Kenya, operating geothermal, hydro, and thermal assets. It is a regional East African state-linked power producer comparable in asset type, scale, and PPA-driven utility relationships to SPLK's positioning in Rwanda.
• Bujagali Energy: Bujagali Energy operates the 250 MW Bujagali hydropower plant on the Victoria Nile in Uganda under a 30-year PPA with the Ugandan government. It is a regional East African IPP peer with a comparable long-term PPA structure and state-utility off-taker model.
• Rusumo Power Company: Rusumo Power Company operates the 80 MW Rusumo Falls run-of-river hydropower project on the Kagera River, supplying Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. It is a regional East African cross-border IPP with a similar state-utility off-taker structure and similar plant-scale economics.

Others

• Wärtsilä Energy: Wärtsilä supplies flexible gas engine and balancing solutions to the global power industry, including to island and African grids. SPLK's reliance on Caterpillar biogas gensets (19 units) makes Wärtsilä a closely adjacent technology supplier and competitor in gas-engine IPPs.
• Caterpillar (Electric Power): Caterpillar supplied the 19 biogas generator sets (3.790 MWe each) that form SPLK's power island. As the OEM of the project's core generation equipment, Caterpillar is a critical technology supplier and a comparable gas-engine generation company in spirit, though not a direct operational IPP competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shema-power-lake-kivu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited