We use the term “energy poverty” to refer to poor access to modern energy services – especially household access to electricity and clean cooking methods. The accompanying graphic vividly demonstrates one aspect of energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the…
In Burundi the rains have started in earnest, and for our work on rivers the most obvious indicator is the mud in the river water. This past week we went out with a team to measure flows at several places…
Many thanks to our awesome videographer – Seth Chase – for producing the Songa Energy trailer! We hope that you’ll share this widely, as we want many to know about the energy needs and opportunities in Burundi. Join us in…
Songa Energy was recently profiled in an article in the monthly newsletter of the Burundi Investment Promotion Authority (API). The article, titled “They Chose Burundi: Songa Energy Wants to Increase Access to Electricity in Burundi” is translated from French to English…
Last week was a very busy one for the Songa Energy team in Burundi, with our Director of Engineering (Kevin Crew) in country to visit our sites and to finalize important aspects of the engineering design and feasibility study. Kevin…
This past week our team visited the second site that we are developing in Burundi – on the Mulembwe River in Bururi Province of Burundi (Mule037). This site will produce much more power than our first site – about 8MW…
Our first hydroelectric site (1000-1500KW) is on the Ruvyironza River, which is the southern-most tributary of the Nile River. This river flows north into the Ruvubu River, which then joins a river from Rwanda to form the Kagera River to…
There is no question that there are challenges to doing business in Burundi – and a recent report from the World Bank confirms this, ranking Burundi 152 out of 189 nations in an aggregate ranking of 10 critical factors in…
A big part of developing a hydroelectric site is understanding the topography of the site – which drives the placement of the dam, canal, penstock pipe, powerhouse, and roads. Our survey team was on site in July and we are…
This week our team installed a “gaging station” on the Ruvyironza River, just downstream of our planned hydroelectric plant in Gitega Province. This station will be monitored twice a day, with the river levels recorded by one of the neighbors…