The electricity supply industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

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.

Household Air Pollution and Risk of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Adults

“…In Africa, people in urban or suburban areas typically have two kitchens -an indoor one using electricity or gas, and an outdoor one using solid fuel. However, in the DRC, ownership of electrical appliances (56% in our study) is not a good indicator for low HAP exposure, because an inconsistent power supply forces many to rely for much of the time on non-electricity sources, such as biofuel [33] Our ndings from the questionnaire were largely corroborated by personal CO measurements, which were obtained for 20% of participants. In this subgroup, TB risk was signi cantly associated with "time spent in the kitchen".…”

“…In Africa, people in urban or suburban areas typically have two kitchens – an indoor one using electricity or gas, and an outdoor one using solid fuel. However, in the DRC, ownership of electrical appliances (56% in our study) is not a good indicator for low HAP exposure, because an inconsistent power supply forces many to rely for much of the time on non-electricity sources, such as biofuel[ 33 ]…”

“…We included 1,277 participants: 435 cases (HIV+/TB+) and 842 controls (HIV+/TB-). Median (IQR) age was 41 (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50) years, and 76% were female (Table 1). Half of participants had only a primary education, and half were housekeepers or unemployed.…”

Household air pollution and risk of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV-Infected adults

“…In Africa, people in urban or suburban areas typically have two kitchens – an indoor one using electricity or gas, and an outdoor one using solid fuel. However, in the DRC, ownership of electrical appliances (56% in our study) is not a good indicator for low HAP exposure, because an inconsistent power supply forces many to rely for much of the time on non-electricity sources, such as biofuel [ 36 ].…”

Gender discrepancy in economic participation: the case of young women in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…When companies and individuals explain their business challenges and what causes their ventures to fail, the DRC's electricity issues in general and in Kinshasa are the most common reasons for business failure. Businesses without a generator are inclined to fail, as load shedding occurs daily for long hours and sometimes for days [107].…”