[2] Lake Kivu is reported to contain a considerable amount of methane gas and carbon dioxide, which, when they bubble to the surface, form lethal "toxic clouds".

However, when the gases are extracted and canned (bottled), they form vital cooking fuel which replaces scarce firewood and charcoal, thereby preserving the environment.

[4] On 5 February 2019, agreements were signed, between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB) and Gasmeth Energy Limited (GEL), committing GEL to construct a facility on Lake Kivu to extract, process and compress methane gas for the domestic and export market.

This is the first major project in the African Great Lakes region for the extraction of methane gas for cooking, on an industrial scale.

[5] The owner-developers of this project are Gasmeth Energy Limited, a Rwanda-registered company, whose shareholders are as illustrated in the table below.