Budana’s last turbine: A sword of damocles over Ituri’s electrification

The Budana Hydroelectric Power Plant, located on the Shari River, 12 km from the city of Bunia in Ituri Province, is the region’s main power station. It belongs to the Kilo-Moto Mining Company (SOKIMO), a state-owned enterprise, and is managed by one of its departments, Electrokimo.

Loss of Capacity

Built in 1940 with an initial capacity of 12.5 MW to support the region’s industrial mining operations, the plant also supplied electricity to major towns in Ituri (Bunia, Mongbwalu, Kasenyi-Tchomia, Nyankunde…) and Haut-Uélé (Watsa, Doko…).

However, the Budana plant has gradually lost its operational capacity and now only produces 3 MW—no longer enough to meet the growing energy demands of a mining and oil-rich region facing intense population pressure and significant socio-economic growth. Even if restored to its original capacity, it would still be insufficient to meet current and future demands.

Today, two main factors explain the electricity shortfall in the Budana-supplied region. First, the aging production infrastructure, which SOKIMO/Electrokimo lacks the financial means to rehabilitate or properly maintain. Second, the legal attachment of Electrokimo to SOKIMO—a company itself facing financial hardship, like many other state-owned enterprises. As a result, SOKIMO cannot provide Electrokimo with the funding it needs. Limited support from SOKIMO and Mongbwalu Goldmines has not been enough to bring the Budana plant back online. Most funding requests made by SOKIMO on behalf of Electrokimo have gone unanswered.

How to Save Budana?

Given the region’s urgent and growing energy needs, this report proposes a few solutions. First, in the short to medium term, the management of Electrokimo should be separated from SOKIMO and entrusted to private investors through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Under this model, SOKIMO would benefit from specific payments stipulated in the partnership agreement.

Considering the significant electricity needs of mining operators, and to ensure the local population is not left behind, Electrokimo must include clauses guaranteeing power supply to local communities—these must be detailed in the bidding documents.

In parallel, while this solution is implemented in Budana, the national, provincial, and local governments should plan to construct new hydroelectric plants—not only to meet regional demand but also to fulfill the constitutional duty of guaranteeing access to electricity for all.