- EIB Global has approved an additional €5 million grant for the Ruzizi III hydropower project preparation phase.
- The 206 MW renewable energy project will supply electricity to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
EIB Global has approved an additional €5 million grant for the Ruzizi III hydropower project, reinforcing support for what is set to become Africa’s first regional Public Private Partnership project to generate renewable energy from a shared resource across three countries.
The funding, provided through the EU Africa Infrastructure Fund, will support private sector sponsors as they continue project preparation activities. The latest grant builds on the initial €9.1 million funding package provided by EIB Global in 2020 to support early stage development work.
The proposed 206 MW hydropower plant will be jointly developed by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Once operational, the facility is expected to deliver renewable electricity to more than 30 million people across the three countries, helping to strengthen regional energy security and expand access to clean power.
Hydropower remains one of the most important sources of low carbon electricity in Africa, offering reliable renewable generation that can support economic growth and industrial development.
The European Union, together with the European Investment Bank, is supporting the project’s design phase through technical expertise, engineering services and specialist input from European consulting firms.
The Ruzizi III project has attracted strong backing from international development finance institutions. Alongside EIB Global and the European Commission, co financiers include Agence Française de Développement, KfW, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group.
The project is widely regarded as a strategic regional energy initiative that will strengthen cross border power integration while supporting the transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy systems in Central and East Africa.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
