Ruzizi III Energy Limited (REL) is a special purpose vehicle that was established and registered in Rwanda to develop the Ruzizi III Regional Hydroelectric Power Project.

Ruzizi III Energy Limited was established in March 2017

The project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the Economic Community of the Great Lakes (CEPGL) region comprising Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Rwanda (the Contracting States). It will be a 206 MW hydroelectrict power project, with an average annual energy production of about 1,200 GWh.

The project will be located at the border between DRC and Rwanda on the Ruzizi River, between Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika. It will be part of the Ruzizi cascade, already equipped by Ruzizi I and Ruzizi II plants.

The project area is in both DRC and Rwanda. In Rwanda, it is in Rusizi District; Nzahaha and Bugarama sectors. In DRC, It is in the Kamanyola and Karhongo cluster (Groupement), Walungu territory (Territoire), South Kivu Province.

The project will be a public-private partnership during construction and operation. The shareholders of the project during the initial development period are Industrial Promo?on Services (IPS) and SN Power AS (SNP) owned by Scatec ASA.
After the financial close, the shareholders will be the Ruzizi III HPCL (comprising SNP and IPS) and the Contracting States with the private and public parties holding 70% and 30% of the company’s share capital respectively.

The affected communities under the Ruzizi III Regional Hydroelectric Power Project are population owning lands
and other properties in the project affected area. In Rwanda, they are the population from Nzahaha Sector, Murya as well as Nyenji Cell and Bugarama Sector; Nyange Cell. In DRC, they are the population from Groupement Kamanyola, villages of Kayenge, Bugano, as well as Kafunda and Groupement Karhongo, villages of Nachihembe, Nachirongwe, Ibambiro, Bujenjere and Ruduha.

The activities of developing the Ruzizi III Regional Hydroelectric Power Project will affect around 2,151 households both in DRC and Rwanda. It comprises 1,546 households in the DRC and 605 households in Rwanda. It will physically displace only 2 house-holds in Rwanda and 50 in the DRC.

The project equity for construction will be provided by capital from public and private sector partners contributed to REL. To finance the project, the Contracting States will use concessional loans and grants from European Investment Bank (EIB), Kreditanstalt für Wiederau?au (KfW) the German development agency, and the French Development Agency (AFD),African Development Bank (AfDB), and the World Bank among others.
There will also be non-concessional debt from different private actors. Further, project debt will be raised by REL under a combination of typical project finance arrangements (non-recourse finance) and on-lent funds from the Contracting States.

Under the Ruzizi III Regional Hydroelectric Power Project, there will be different opportunities for the project
affected people and the host communities. The opportunities will include:
• Employment opportunities in the project area
• Community development programs in the project area
• Increase electricity production in the region
• Improved infrastructure (Roads, Bridges…)
• Availability of opportunities for local businesses and opportunity for creating new businesses
• Fishing opportunities in the reservoir
• Enhancing gender equality through labor recruitment
• Strengthening family cohesion through financialskills development training

The Contracting States will pay fair compensation packages to the affected people.

The energy from the plant will be shared equally between the Contracting States.