The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second largest (by area) and fourth most populous country in Central Africa with an area of 2.34 million km2. Its population was estimated at 85.8 million in 2018. The capital is Kinshasa and the official languages are French, Lingala, Kikongo and Swahili.
More than 60% of the population lives in rural areas, and most are occupied by agriculture and mining activities. Main export commodities are diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, wood products, crude oil, and coffee. Mining has traditionally dominated the economy and is the source of most of the export incomes. Other major contributors are agriculture and forestry, together constituting about 40% of the GDP. A great deal of economic activity still takes place in the informal sector, such as small-scale mining, and is, therefore, not reflected in the GDP data. The DRC is highly dependent on imports of oil and coal.
DRC is Africa’s richest nation in terms of natural resources, with large reserves of mineral resources (particularly copper and cobalt), as well as potential for hydropower and agriculture. It is also home to the Congo Rainforest – the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon, which is estimated to store 8% of the world’s forest carbon.
The DRC has extensive energy resources, including a potential hydroelectric capacity of approximately 100,000 MW. The Inga dam on the Congo River, alone, has a potential capacity of 40,000-45,000 MW, which could supply all of Southern Africa's electricity needs. Due to continuing political uncertainties and the resulting lack of investor interest, only a fraction of this amount has been developed.
Primary energy needs are essentially met by hydroelectric plants followed by biomass and oil as other major energy sources. Nearly all electricity production comes from hydropower plants, with a mere 1% coming from oil and gas.
DRC is in a very high-level sunbelt where values are between 3,250- and 6,000-Watt peak/m²/s. This makes installation of photovoltaic systems as well as the use of thermal solar systems viable in many parts of the country. As for wind potential, there are some areas in DRC where the wind speed is equal to or greater than 5 km/h.
In recent development, the Ministry of Energy and Hydraulic Resources, the multinational Clean Energy Company and the Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, signed an agreement to set up a 400 MW solar power plant. This project comes as a support to the achievement of the government’s target of 65% electrification by 2025.