Congo, Democratic Republic - EnergyCongo (DR) - Energy
Overview
The DRC has an immense and varied energy potential, consisting of non-renewable resources, including oil, natural gas, and uranium, as well as renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric, biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal power. Hydroelectric power accounts for 96 percent of domestic power generation, the bulk of which is generated by the Inga I and Inga II dams, located in Kongo Central province. While Inga I and II have an installed capacity of 1,775 megawatts, the facility generates a fraction of that due to decades of deferred maintenance and neglect.Despite millions of dollars of donor funding, today only 9 percent of Congo’s 70 million people have access to electricity – about 30 percent in urban areas and an alarming one (1) percent in rural areas. Lack of access to modern electricity services impairs the health, education, and income-generating potential of millions of Congolese people.
Most power generation development, including the construction of new, and the rehabilitation of existing, power generating facilities is directed and funded by mining companies seeking to power their facilities.
In 2014, a new electricity law was adopted in the DRC, enabling the energy sector to be opened up to more independent producers of traditional and renewable energy. In addition, many universities and academic institutions in the DRC have founded centers for the research and development of renewable energies such as solar energy and biodiesel.
Leading Sub-Sectors
- Electrical power generation
- Transmission line construction
- Last mile power transmission infrastructure
- Mobile power generators
- Hydroelectric turbine construction, maintenance
- Solar energy
Opportunities
The GDRC launched a program of reform to develop the energy sector with the aim or rehabilitating Inga I and II’s turbines and building the third phase of the Inga Dam. The third phase of the dam would generate an estimated 4,400 megawatts, with the bulk of the power supporting copper mining and smelting operations in Haut-Katanga province, and exports to South Africa. Approximately one third of the expected power would be designated for parastatal utility Societe National d’electricite (SNEL) to power Kinshasa. The GDRC envisions Inga III as a step towards the construction of “Grand Inga,” an eight dam project that could generate as much as 40,000 megawatts, which could meet most of the African continent’s energy needs. Along with hydroelectric power, the GDRC seeks to build and rehabilitate several geothermal stations across the country. The GDRC seeks firms with financing and experience to partner with local and parastatal firms to build these power generating facilities.