IED has been working since mid-2020 on a World Bank-funded renewable energy electrification planning project for 21 democratic Republic of Congo towns. The main objective of this project is to identify technical solutions to significantly increase access to electrification over the next twenty years.

The national rate of access to electricity in the DRC is close to 9% with large disparities between provinces and between urban areas where the rate is 35% compared to 1% in rural areas. Rural electrification based on renewable energy (solar, hydroelectric or biomass) represents a concrete challenge for access to energy in isolated areas.

As part of this project, an IED expert visited the DRC from 22 February to 12 March 2021 in order to :

  • Carry out the potential study of two hydroelectric sites near the capitals of Kananga and Tshikapa;

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  • Provide training on small hydropower to ministry of energy and hydraulic resources staff. For example, 6 agents of the Congolese Ministry of Energy and Hydraulic Resources were equipped by IED with tools to carry out pre-feasibility studies of hydroelectric sites over the water, using the  RetScreen  Expert software.

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