Two 100MW solar power plants in DRC are planned for construction in Likasi and Kolwezi cities located in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces respectively where 60% of global cobalt production is concentrated. Cobalt is an essential mineral used in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and other electronic products.

The 100MW solar power plants in DRC, expected to break ground in March next year, are supported by Financing Access RDC, a subsidiary of the Financing Access Group focused exclusively on emerging markets and developing economies, in partnership with the investment fund Green Power Capital (GPC) that specializes in financing renewable energy projects.

The OTEC Group will provide operational and technical support in the conduct of the project.

Expectations for the projects

The 100MW solar power plants in DRC are expected to start operating in early 2023. They will provide the Congo’s grid with an average annual production of around 500-gigawatt hours, enough to supply electricity to more than 1.25 million people.

The project is already subject to power purchase agreements signed by the project’s developer and Congolese state-owned utility company-Société Nationale d’Électricité (SNEL)-in charge of the production, transmission, distribution, and marketing of electrical energy, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo and abroad.

Speaking after the signing of the agreements Jean-Bosco Kayombo Kayan, SNEL’s Director-General said, “With the signing of this agreement, we will contribute to securing the energy supply in the major urban and peri-urban centers.

Similarly, we will be able to ensure the supply of electricity to industrialists in the area, in particular the industrial-scale copper-cobalt mining companies which represent the economic lungs of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces.”