SWITCH ENERGY is stepping up to tackle a critical challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo: the widespread lack of access to reliable electricity.
Millions of Congolese households and businesses are currently without this essential resource, directly impacting economic growth, educational opportunities, and healthcare services. Traditional energy sources like kerosene lamps and diesel generators not only burden communities with high costs but also pose significant health and environmental risks.
The national utility, SNEL, faces substantial operational and financial hurdles, evidenced by its limited reach of only 500,000 connections nationwide. Furthermore, the energy deficit is starkly illustrated by the mining industry in the former Katanga province, where a demand of 1411 MW in 2023 far outstripped the supply of just 751 MW, leaving an 860 MW shortfall. Nationally, the statistics are even more sobering, with a recent household survey indicating that a mere 14% of the population has access to electricity, a figure that plummets to a staggering 0.4% in rural areas compared to 42% in urban centers.
Recognizing the immense potential of the DRC’s abundant sunshine, with a solar potential of 5.7 Kw per square meter, SWITCH ENERGY champions solar power as the ideal solution. Solar energy offers a clean and sustainable pathway to empower communities, and off-grid solar systems can deliver essential electricity to homes and businesses.
SWITCH ENERGY’s vision for 2035 is ambitious and transformative: to become a major developer of energy infrastructure across the entire value chain – power generation, transmission, distribution, and supply – operating throughout the DRC.
Our core mission is to provide affordable and reliable renewable energy to underserved communities, thereby stimulating economic growth and creating livelihoods for a multitude of households and businesses in the DRC and the broader region. Importantly, SWITCH ENERGY also aims to be a key supporter of the power-starved DRC mining industry.
To realize this vision, SWITCH ENERGY has set clear and impactful targets for 2035:
- Over 1000 Megawatts of Additional Power
- Over 1 million New Connections
- Over 10 million people Reached
- Over 100k New Jobs Created
SWITCH ENERGY is poised to be a driving force in electrifying the Democratic Republic of Congo, paving the way for a brighter and more prosperous future.