Rwanda Sees Surge in Electricity Exports and Imports

Rwanda’s electricity exports to neighboring countries saw a significant rise in 2023. According to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), exports increased by 14.3% compared to 2022.

In Uganda, electricity used in the Kisoro region, which crosses the Cyanika border from Rwanda, reached 7.57 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) in 2023. This was up from 6.76 million KWh in the previous year.

Electricity from Rwanda’s Mururu II hydro plant also made its way to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it reached 240,000 KWh in 2023, a significant jump from 106,000 KWh in 2022. Similarly, electricity sent to DRC via the Kamanyola border increased to 2.83 million KWh, up from 2.25 million KWh in 2022.

Overall, Rwanda exported 10.65 million KWh of electricity to Uganda and DRC in 2023, up from 9.12 million KWh the previous year.

On the import side, Rwanda saw a major increase in electricity imports, receiving 213.6 million KWh in 2023. This was a 54.47% jump from 97.27 million KWh in 2022. A large portion of this came from SNEL, the DRC’s electricity distributor, which sent 109.79 million KWh. SNELAC, the regional power distributor, contributed 18.55 million KWh.

Uganda’s electricity provider, UNEB, also played a role, sending 85.25 million KWh to Rwanda in 2023. This was a huge increase from the 7.03 million KWh in 2022.

Countries in the Great Lakes region are increasingly dependent on each other for electricity, especially when domestic power production falls short. To better address these needs, they established SNELAC in 1983 to promote shared power solutions.