Superhot Rock Geothermal in Rwanda

The document highlights that just 1% of Rwanda's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 41 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 973 GWh. This resource could theoretically replace all fossil fuels used for electricity production, reducing emissions by approximately 0.3 megatonnes of CO2eq and decreasing dependence on coal imports from Tanzania. Additionally, superhot rock geothermal is presented as a highly land-efficient energy source requiring only 12 km² per 1 GW, compared to significantly higher requirements for solar, wind, and biomass.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Rwanda possesses significant superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 41 GW of energy capacity and generate over 339,924 GWh of electricity, which is 349 times the country's 2021 electricity consumption.
• Superhot rock geothermal could improve Rwanda's energy security by replacing fossil fuel imports, including the 50% of coal that Rwanda currently imports, primarily from Tanzania.
• The technology is characterized by extremely low land-use requirements, estimated at 12 km² per 1 GW, which is significantly lower than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), and biomass (14,000 km²).

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Rwanda. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145056/Rwanda-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Rwanda. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145056/Rwanda-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Rwanda |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145056/Rwanda-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendsuperhot, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Superhot Rock Geothermal in Rwanda}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145056/Rwanda-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }