East Africa: Rwanda Announces Potential Oil Deposits in Lake Kivu

Nairobi — Rwanda now says that its oil and gas exploration in Lake Kivu has shown a promising potential for hydrocarbon resources in the area.

The Rwanda Mines, Petroleum, and Gas Board (RMB) said in a statement Wednesday that a 2D seismic survey conducted between 2021 and 2022 identified significant prospects for oil and gas in the Lake.

The Lake Kivu is part of the extensive East African Rift Valley system.

RMB said that the study indicated that Lake Kivu basin has deep thickness of around 3.5 km suggesting favorable conditions for Hydrocarbon occurences.

Additionally,RMB stated that thirteen structural pockets and potential drilling locations were mapped.

“It[the study] also identified thirteen (13) structural pockets and potentialDrilling locations to confirm the presence and nature of hydrocarbons,” RMB stated.

Building on these findings, RMB is now seeking to attract industry players to advance exploration and move towards the development and production of oil and gas resources in the Lake Kivu basin.

Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes, lies on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It forms part of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift system.

By Capital FM.