Rulindo District in massive electricity rollout

4,000 households in Rulindo District, Northern Province, will soon be connected to electricity in this year’s district plans to have all households connected.The district has so far incurred Rwf 2.6 billion, but officials say that more funds will be injected in the project according to how the district`s revised budget.Justus Kangwagye, the district Mayor, said that the decision to reverse the budget was aimed at ensuring that the project is funded to benefit more households.“We will sign another Rwf 130 million deal with the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWASA) to see that all the seventeen sectors in the district are connected,” Kangwagye said yesterday.He noted that although the public utility cooperation has tried to connect households in the district, there is still a lot that needs to be done in ensuring that electricity reaches even the most vulnerable population.“We must ensure that electricity reaches and impacts lives of even the most deprived people in the district,” he said. Households will only be required to pay for connection fees.The Mayor called on residents to utilize the opportunity to start income generating activities to fight poverty and improve their living conditions. The government has a target of connecting 50 percent of households to the national grid come 2017. Yves Muyange, EWASA`s Director General, said that to achieve this, the at least 100,000 homes must be connected every year. EWASA reports indicate that there was an increase in access to electricity from 6 percent in 2008 to 16 percent in 2008.Government is expected to invest US$4.7 billion to hit the set target in that given time frame. To increase the amount of electricity or generation the government also involved the private sector in power generation through public- private partnership.In addition to the hydro power, the government has also put much effort in the methane gas and geothermal projects to have more power production.