BB Energy ("the Group") has announced the launch of its Improved Cookstove (ICS) Project in Rwanda. In partnership with its local subsidiary Société Pétrolière (SP), and local manufacturer Quality Engineering Company (QEC), BB Energy is supplying energy efficient improved cookstoves to rural communities across Rwanda.

In November 2021, BB Energy signed an MoU with the Ministry of Environment promising to undertake a wide range of initiatives that would further Rwanda’s fight against climate change. Less than a year on, the Group has delivered its first landmark project in the country.

The initiative will provide 200,000 improved cooking stoves to households across the country free of charge. In replacing the traditional three-stone fire cooking method, the new stoves will significantly cut harmful household emissions, such as carbon monoxide, and reduce deforestation. Importantly, the efficiency of the new stoves will decrease the time pressure on women and children collecting wood.

QEC will manufacture the improved cookstoves locally and distribute them to the rural communities. Once the stoves are delivered, an active training plan will be undertaken, wherein QEC representatives will engage with beneficiaries to provide them with the knowledge on how to best use the stoves. By engaging a local enterprise to assist with the operations of the project, BB Energy is creating employment opportunities for more than 100 Rwandans.

Qualifying as a carbon reduction initiative, the project has been submitted to Verra for registration, with details available to the public on the project registry.

Mohamed Bassatne, CEO of BB Energy, said: "Almost three billion people around the world cook on open fires, with women and children in particular bearing the brunt of the negative impacts. As part of our CSR strategy, we, at BB Energy, believe in giving back to the local communities in which we operate. We are proud to collaborate with our local partner SP Rwanda on the Improved Cookstove initiative. We have so far engaged 100 Rwandans to manufacture, distribute, and deliver the ICS to low-income families in rural areas."

BB Energy was established in 1937 and today is one of the world’s leading independent energy trading companies, with a fast-growing renewable energy and emission reduction division. The company has 474 employees in 12 offices spanning five continents, with key trading hubs in London, Dubai, Singapore, and Houston.

AE News