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Symbion Lake Kivu power station

Gas power plant in DR Congo, DR Congo. Approximate location -1.674, 29.228.

GasDR CongoDR CongoOCGTAnnounced

Symbion Lake Kivu power station is a 140 MW gas power station in DR Congo, DR Congo. It is operated by Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 158k homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 3 DR Congo power plants by installed capacity.

140MW installed capacity
157,680homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_symbionlakekivu_drcong.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySymbion Lake Kivu power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryDR Congo · DR Congo GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates-1.674, 29.228 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity140 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerSymbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyOCGT GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions220,752 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#3 / 3 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 / 2 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent157,680 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 27/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as OCGT. Its current lifecycle status is “Announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in DR Congo

Kinkasi power station: 200 MW200Kinkasi po…Symbion Lake Kivu power station: 140 MW140Symbion La…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd.

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 1.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season mean
Temperate oceanic: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
27/100environmental-severity index
0.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
280 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest gas power plant of 2 in DR Congo by capacity.

DR Congo has 2 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 340 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -1.674, 29.228 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Symbion Lake Kivu power station?

Symbion Lake Kivu power station is a 140 MW gas power plant in DR Congo, DR Congo.

How many homes can Symbion Lake Kivu power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 157,680 homes (estimated).

Who operates Symbion Lake Kivu power station?

Symbion Lake Kivu power station is operated by Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd.

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