Rwakalé

THE ESSENTIAL

Rwanda - Invest in the energy transition in France and worldwide

Citizen crowdfunding for the Rwakalé hydroelectric power station

Groupe Hydronéo, a French company affiliated to Hydroneo, is committed to developing, building and operating renewable energy projects around the world. Today, it is offering citizens the chance to help finance the Rwakalé hydroelectric power station in Rwanda.

Located to the north of Kigali (the capital of Rwanda), the 334 kW hydroelectric power station has now been built and should be commissioned in the coming weeks. This fundraising is intended to refinance the equity invested by the Hydronéo Group, which has increased the total cost of this investment to 100%.

Once commissioned, the facility will produce around 1,950,000 kWh of green electricity a year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of almost 25,000 people*. This decarbonised production of energy - as opposed to fossil fuels - will help to protect the environment by avoiding the release into the atmosphere of more than 1,923 tonnes of CO2** each year.

Hydronéo Group - Rwakalé hydroelectric power station

COLLECTION

Why invest?

Investing part of your savings in the energy transition

Through this fundraising campaign, Groupe Hydronéo wants to involve citizens in the energy transition of all regions in France and around the world, by offering to invest part of their savings in the Rwakalé hydroelectric power station.

By allowing citizens to participate in this project, Groupe Hydronéo intends to enable everyone to take part in the deployment of hydroelectricity throughout the world, so that the economic spin-offs from the exploitation of a common natural resource, water, benefit as many people as possible, directly and indirectly.

It's also an opportunity for every member of the public to find out more and get involved at their own level in the development of renewable energies, by contributing directly and collectively to the success of the energy transition in Europe and beyond, because the ambition and the stakes are global.

Contribute directly and collectively to the success of the project

Through its Rwandan project company, which owns the Rwakalé hydroelectric power station, Groupe Hydronéo now wishes to issue simple bonds to residents, for a total amount of €1,000,000.

Our analysis

Benefits, risks and costs

Firstly, the funds raised will only be paid to the project leader once the plant has been commissioned. This suspensive clause was agreed with Hydronéo in the discussions leading up to the fund-raising.

You will find below details of all the risks associated with the project, as well as the associated control procedures:

THE PROJECT

Rwanda - Contribute to local renewable energy production

A hydroelectric power station already built in Rwanda

The project is located on the Mwange river, in the Gicumbi district, in the northern province of Rwanda. The district, whose capital is Byumba, lies to the north of Kigali and is crossed by the main road from Kigali to Kampala.

The two sketches below illustrate the general layout of the Rwakalé hydroelectric power station:

The dam is 2 metres high above the concrete slab and has an 8-metre spillway with a trapezoidal masonry profile.

The main elevations and the route of the channel are governed by topographical conditions and by the results of analyses of hydraulic transients during sudden start-up and shutdown of the units. Pressure oscillations in the watercourses will be regulated by a bunker placed on the platform above the power station. The front platform is an open structure designed to withstand the maximum rise in water level during the sudden shutdown of units operating at full load, and to maintain a sufficient height of water at the penstock inlet to prevent air from entering the penstock.

This structure will be combined with a two-channel desiccant system to avoid a high sediment load that could damage the steel penstock and turbine.

The main purpose of the power station is to house equipment in terms of turbines, generators and auxiliary equipment. The layout of the power station allows for easy installation of equipment as well as access for inspection and maintenance of the turbines and other equipment.

Photographs of the project at each stage

1. A corridor diverts part of the Mwange River, while the rest flows naturally through the waterfall.

2. The canal carries the diverted water for 865 metres to the "forebay" and the entrance to the penstock.

3. The penstock transports the water with as little pressure loss as possible, and feeds the turbine located downstream. There is a height difference of 195 metres between the inlet and outlet of the penstock, and the pressure increases by 1 bar every 10 metres.

 

4. This shows the penstock that leads to the hydroelectric power station downstream.

5. Water arrives through the light blue and navy blue penstocks. The pressure built up in the penstock feeds the Francis turbine, which is composed of a spiral. The water is then released through the pipe at the centre of the spiral.

6. After use, the water is discharged through a pipe (to the left of the hydroelectric power station in image 1). The water joins the river Mwange downstream.

The Water Abstraction Permit, issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, has been obtained. It has been granted for a renewable period of 15 years, to match the duration of the power purchase agreement, which is 25 years. The electricity will be bought back by EUCL (Energy Utility Corporaton Limited), at a feed-in tariff that will therefore be secure for the duration of the contract. The instream flow, i.e. the flow that will be diverted, corresponds to 15% of the average flow.

Groupe Hydronéo - Average monthly river flow (m3/second)

Local, environmentally-friendly energy

This micro-hydro project will also contribute to the socio-economic development of the neighbouring community in which it will be located, through job creation and the availability of a sustainable energy supply in the region.

Groupe Hydronéo - Natural waterfall on the Mwange River, near the Rwakalé power station

DID YOU KNOW?

Why generate electricity locally?

In France, because of the hyper-centralisation of electricity production, we are obliged to transport electricity over great distances. By the simple Joule effect*, this transport causes what are known as line losses. In total, they amount to more than 11,500,000,000 kWh per year. That's the equivalent of 35% of the total electricity consumption of the city of Lyon, which is lost every year! On enerfip.fr, the projects are part of a decentralised approach to electricity production, so that it is produced locally, as close as possible to where it is consumed.

*When an electric current is passed through a conductive material, it opposes a certain resistance to the current flowing through it, causing its internal temperature to rise. Some of the electrical energy transported is then dissipated in the form of thermal energy; this is known as the Joule effect. This effect is sometimes used to produce heat - electric radiators, water heaters, toasters, etc.

Groupe Hydronéo - Visit to the Rwakalé power plant