As part of efforts to sustain his government’s commitment towards economic development, H.E. President Felix Tshisekedi launched the first phase of a 600 MW photovoltaic plant construction in the Menkao district of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The plant is an offshoot of the DRC’s global solar energy plan titled Kinshasa Solar City led by Sun Plus in partnership with the City of Kinshasa and the national utility company Société Nationale d’Electricité.
Congolese nationals are entitled to certain benefits as a result of the plant construction, such as:
- Employment: according to Sun Plus, a local subsidiary of Washington-based conglomerate TSG, the first phase of the Kinshasa Solar City initiative is expected to be concluded by 2021, and 90% of the plant’s employees will be Congolese nationals.
- Access to power: with the aim of increasing the stake of solar power in the country’s energy mix by building several solar plants that will generate up to 1,000 MW, construction of the plant is a huge step to the country’s pursuit of providing electricity in areas of the DRC that lack access to power.
- Economic Growth: in line with the Congolese government’s quest to increase economic growth and provide universal access to power by 2030, solar power is one of the areas of diversification chosen by the government alongside the hydrocarbon exploration and hydroelectric projects it is working on. “The official launch of construction work on the solar power plant in the city of Kinshasa commits the country to another energy path which nature has graciously given us,” Gentiny Ngobila, Governor of Kinshasa said.
