(3 Minutes Read)
Recently, the main mining firm Gécamines, its subsidiaries, and the national electricity company, Societe Nationale d’Electricite (SNEL), held a working framework to “create a synergy of forces and intelligence” on how to deal with the problem.
Mining firms in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been forced to import electricity from as far afield as Kenya and Ethiopia amid a biting supply, ironic for a country that could potentially power most of Africa were its hydropower capacity harnessed.
Yet electricity supply in the DRC has been a real headache for years, with the mining sector experiencing a deficit of between 500MW and 1,000MW, according to figures from the Chamber of Mines, a body of the Congo Business Federation (FEC).
For years, both industry and households have struggled to meet their electricity needs, and now energy-insecure companies have started importing electricity or using other sources of energy to keep production going.
Recently, the main mining firm Gécamines, its subsidiaries, and the national electricity company, Societe Nationale d’Electricite (SNEL), held a working framework to “create a synergy of forces and intelligence” on how to deal with the problem.
They said this would help reflect “appropriate solutions to respond to a structural problem that is undermining two sectors of economic growth in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
In addition to the limited production of electricity, the mining industry is still hampered by another problem: frequent power cuts. Placide Nkala, managing director of Gécamines, says that mining companies whose source of electricity is SNEL experience around 20 power cuts every month. Faced with a severe shortage of electricity, the DRC is now importing power from other countries.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/drc-conflicts-escalate-millions-lost-lives-no-abatement-on-displacement/
Teddy Lwamba, the Minister for Water Resources and Electricity, said the imports will cost $8 billion in the long run. Officials say more solutions are in the pipeline, such as the operationalization of the Buhandahanda substation in Goma, the Nelsap line connecting to Kenya and Ethiopia, to supply 50MW to 100MW from Ethiopia. Kinshasa has also asked Brazzaville for a 25MW backup supply. Tanzania has pledged to supply 100MW.
