The electricity supply industry of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reviewed, from the formation of the Societé National d'Electricité (SNEL) in 1970 until today. The DRC government established a national utility, because electricity is a key element in the socio -economic development of a country. Due to the national monopoly of SNEL, hydropower plants could be constructed such as Inga1 and Inga2. They supply power to mining in the Katanga province, and to a steel company in Maluku, not far from Kinshasa. Currently, Inga1 and Inga 2 are not operating at full capacity. Many hydropower and thermal plants are located in different provinces and need to be refurbished to increase their capacity of electricity for the DRC. Due to technical problems, SNEL only generates 1150 MW. The electrification programme in urban and rural areas across the DRC caters for less than 10% of the 60 million inhabitants. In 1980, the government implemented a policy called Plan Directeur de SNEL for electrification, but the policies never reached their objectives. No Energy White Paper exists which outlines the entire policy framework for energy supply and demand. Power sector reform has also not been implemented in the electricity sector. This paper outlines future government options in the electricity sector. Accordingly, the Public Private Partnership model could play a major role in attracting private partners to invest in the electricity sector in order to have different hydropower and thermal plants refurbished.
The concept of power trading is considered in the context of the vision of the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD). A most promising option is to utilise the rich water resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo for hydro-power generation. Present and anticipated future potential generating capacities are quoted. The development of the Inga 3 and the Grand Inga schemes could supply grid-connected African states with sufficient electricity to stimulate their respective socio-eco-nomic development. Today’s situation and plans are outlined, emphasising requirements for success. These include financial investment through public-private partnerships, the all-important role of gov-ernments to ensure political stability and independ-ent regional regulation for equitable wheeling charges.
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