Country Report

World Small Hydropower
Development Report 2013
www.smallhydroworld.org
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
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Published in 2013 by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and International Center
on Small Hydro Power (ICSHP).
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Recommended citation:
Liu, H., Masera, D. and Esser, L., eds. (2013). World Small Hydropower Development Report 2013. United Nations Industrial
Development Organization; International Center on Small Hydro Power. Available from www.smallhydroworld.org.
electrification projects. But until now, the programme
has not properly started. No financial support has
been made available to Société Nationale d'Électricité
(SNEL) - the state-owned electricity utility in charge of
power generation, transmission and distribution - to
materialize any project. As a result, SNEL has only
been able to achieve one-seventh of the
electrification target.
1 Africa
1.2 Middle Africa
1.2.4 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Roger Limoko Bosomba, Société Nationale
d'Électricité, Direction de l’Électrification Rurale,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Key facts
Population
Area
Climate
Topography
Rain
Pattern
The electricity sector is liberalized and some private
companies produce and sell electricity to consumers
(Société d'électrification du Nord Kivu with 2 MW in
Butembo, and Électricité du Congo (EDC) generating
1.2 to 9 MW in Tshikapa). There are also some auto3
producers who generate electricity for their own use
It is difficult to estimate the installed capacity of
hydropower in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SNEL and its facilities, i.e. the State, represent 99 per
cent of the installed capacity.
1
73,599,190
2,345,000 km²
Tropical; hot and humid in equatorial
river basin; cooler and drier in southern
highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern
highlands; north of Equator. Wet
season is from April to October, dry
season is from December to February;
south of Equator. Wet season is from
November to March, dry season is from
April to October. Temperatures range
from 25°C to 37°C
Large Congo River basin in the centre of
the country covered by equatorial rainforest. The whole land is forested, more
or less thickly. There are plains and
slopes in the west, hills in the north and
south and mountains in the east.
Frequent rainfalls throughout the year
over the whole country. Average
annual rainfall is 1,200 mm, with the
heaviest rains in November and
December.
The Ministry of Energy is in charge of the energy
sector and potable water. It defines the national
energy policy. There is no independent regulator in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The problem of
involving the private sector in the electricity supply
industry is the main concern of the Government. It is
hoped that the legal and regulatory framework will
soon be defined. There is one division within the
Ministry of Energy in charge of Rural Electrification,
which works with the Rural Electrification cell of
3
SNEL.
Table 1
Installed power capacity in the Democratic Republic
of Congo
Electricity overview
The country has oil, gas and uranium reserves.
Electrification is essentially based on large hydropower plants, with the most important site being Site
d’Inga in the South-West of the country (figure 1). It
alone already contains an assessed total of 44 GW.
The Inga site includes large hydropower plants Inga I
(351 MW installed capacity; 2.4 TWh/year electricity
production; built in 1972) and Inga II (installed
capacity of 1,424 MW; 10.4 TWh/year electricity
production; built in 1982). Two more projects at the
same site are under consideration: in the medium
term Inga III (3,500 MW) and in the long term Grand
3
Inga Scheme (39,000 MW). Furthermore, there is an
on-going rehabilitation programme for Inga II.
Year 2005a
2436.90 MW
2418.30 MW
18.60 MW
7 193 484 MWh
7 186 523 MWh
6 961 MWh
7 178 253 MWh
7 171 441 MWh
6 812 MWh
5 741 926 MWh
Installed capacity (total)
- Hydro
- Thermo
Gross production (total)
- Hydro
- Thermo
Net production (total)
- Hydro
- Thermo
Energy sold
Sources:
a. Limoko, and Bampufu4
b. Trading Economics5
Note: Based on the public works SNEL.
The electrification rate is 11.1 per cent with 58.7
2
million people without access to electricity. A Rural
Electrification Programme was launched in 2004 and it
aims to stabilize the rural population and to reduce
3
rural exodus The programme should benefit 80,000
identified communities (100-500 kW/centre) as well
as contribute to the reliability, restoration and
extension of the national grid. It will also enable the
export of excess electricity for financing some national
Oil
0.2%
Natural Gas
0.4%
Year 2010b
2 442 MW
..
7 518 GWh
7 509 GWh
..
..
..
99.4%
Hydropower
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo
5
Source: Trading Economics
1
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
The gross theoretical hydropower potential is 1,397
TWh/year (evaluated in 1997). The total technical
hydropower potential for the country is around
100,000 MW (evaluated in 1997). The economically
feasible potential is 419,210 GWh/year (evaluated in
1991 based on sites in operation, studied and
inventoried, assuming 100 per cent load factor), see
table 3 for potential sites. Less than one per cent of
the technically feasible potential has been developed.
Table 2
Installed small hydropower
Democratic Republic of Congo
Positive aspects for small hydropower development in
the Democratic Republic of Congo are:
 Access to electricity and drinking water is a right
in the new Constitution;
 The energy sector reform is on-going;
 The electricity sector has been liberalized;
 Hydro sites have been identified and many
studies are available;
 There are needs to increase the national
electricity access rate through development of
the country’s abundant hydropower resources;
 Incentive policies are provided to attract foreign
investors.
100.9 MW
0
20
40
60
80
100
the
Massive hydropower potential is available and more
than 350 sites have been identified.
25.6 MW
SHP potential
in
Name
Commissioning
Owner
Capacity
(Province)
(Year)
(MW)
Moba
..
Public
1.00
Mpozo (Bas
1960s
Public
2.21
Congo)
Lungudi (Kasai
1960s
Public
2.00
Occidental)
Kilubi (Katanga)
1960s
Public
9.90
Mobayi Mbongo
1989
Public
10.50
Note: List is incomprehensive as there are other unknown smaller
private plants (self-producers).
In 2011, the national installed hydropower capacity
was 2,418.30 MW. There are 11 hydropower plants
with capacities larger than 10 MW. There are five
small hydropower plants with a total installed capacity
of 25.61 MW (figure 2). The youngest plant, Mobayi
Mbongo in the province of Ecuador to the north, was
built in 1989 (table 2).
SHP installed capacity
capacity
120
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Table 3
Small hydro potential under 10 MW in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Name (Province)
Kakobola a
Ruki
Lepudungu
Ruwenzori I
Ruwenzori II
Kisalala b
Rutshuru
Ngingwe
Binza
Osso
Mwenga
Piana Mwanga II
Delporte
Tshilomba b
BRI de Lubilanji II
Tshala II
Katende/Bombo
Lukenie
Butembo b
Lubilanji 2 b
Sources: Dikangala and Bavueza3, International Journal on Hydropower and Dams6
Notes:
a. In planning, construction
b. In planning, missing funding
Barriers to small hydropower development
In general, infrastructure development has been
hindered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due
to
instabilities
caused
by
the
country’s
democratization process in the past 50 years. Building
Potential capacity
(MW)
6
5.3
3
6
6
7.5
4
3
5
3
9.5
8.4
5
3 (or 2.4 to 7)
4.2
12
10
3
1- 6
4.2
of small hydropower plants near viable economic
centres, as planned by the rural electrification
programme, has been a challenge until now also due
to lack of funds.
2
References
1. Central Intelligence Agency (2012). The World
Factbook. Available from
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/.
2. International Energy Agency (2011). World Energy
Outlook 2011. International Energy Agency.
3. Dikangala, K. and Bavueza, K. (2007). Hydroelectricites de J. (pour l'electrification de DR Congo).
Paper presented at Training for Small Hydropower, 2
November to 12 December. Hangzhou, China.
4. Limoko, R. Et Bampufu, M. Centeres ruraux de Des
(2008). Republique democratique du Congo et de
l'electrification. Paper presented at the International
Center on Small Hydro Power, May. Hangzhou.
5. Trading Economics (2010). Electricity production
(kWh) in Congo. Available from
www.tradingeconomics.com/congo/electricityproduction-kwh-wb-data.html.
6. International Journal on Hydropower and Dams
(2011). World Atlas and Industry Guide 2011. Surrey,
UK: Aquamedia International.
3
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