Ituri Energy to Produce 15MW of Clean Power in the DRC
The company Ituri Energy (Energie de l’Ituri) was officially launched this week, with the mandate of providing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with 15MW of clean electricity. Four megawatts (MW) of power will be derived from solar energy, while 11MW will be produced from hydropower. The creation of Ituri Energy comes as a result of the organization of a roundtable in November 2019, during which Jean Bamanisa, Governor of the Ituri Province, announced plans to raise the region’s access to power from one percent currently to 30% in 2023.
To achieve this objective, Bamanisa aims to utilize a diversified mix of energy, including solar, hydro and biomass. The power generated will enable the local population of the provincial capital Bunia to benefit from an uninterrupted supply of electricity. Furthermore, Bamanisa encouraged state-owned mining company Sokimo to take advantage of stable electricity supply to revamp its operations and proceed with the rehabilitation of its Budana hydroelectric plant.
Access to power is a particularly crucial challenge in the DRC, where approximately 80% of Congolese lack access to a stable source of electricity. The quest to universal access is currently underway, thanks to the country’s immense potential in both hydro and solar.
