A hybrid solar power plant has been inaugurated in Mambasa, a town in Ituri province, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UNDP invested nearly $700,000 to facilitate the development of the 120.96 kW array through its Green Energy post-pandemic project. Ugandan solar company Aptech Africa handled construction.

The Mambasa solar power plant has a distributed network covering a 1 km radius. It will supply power to more than 300 users including six health centers, 224 small- to medium-sized enterprises, two community radios, four drinking water pumps, 19 administrative offices, and 89 households.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo had cumulatively deployed 25 MW of solar by the end of 2023, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).