Core Group : Recommendations for the 145 Territories Local Development Program

The Congolese government has developed a strategic document known as the Local Development Program for the 145 Territories, abbreviated as “PDL-145T”, with the aim of initiating the integrated development of the DRC from the grassroots level.

This program consists of four components, the first of which aims to improve access for populations in rural territories to basic socioeconomic infrastructure and services: agricultural access roads, photovoltaic micro-power plants, solar streetlights, boreholes and mini-grids, schools, health centers, markets, administrative buildings for sectors and territories, and housing for local authorities.

Rural electrification is a major element of this first component. Specifically, the PDL-145T plans for the construction of 418 solar mini-grids and public lighting with solar streetlights (covering a total of 471 km) in the administrative centers of each territory.

As the program is about to be launched, the Core Group has noted a lack of visibility regarding the preliminary studies conducted to support these choices—particularly in terms of the power needs data and the types of technologies to be deployed.

In most cases, the government’s proposals specify the power to be installed without further technical details. This raises concerns that no decision-support studies were carried out to properly guide this crucial project for rural areas:

• The energy needs of the territories to be electrified are not well known;
• The methodology behind the selection of electrification technologies is unclear;
• The basic energy services expected to be developed through this program are not specified;
• Sustainability strategies for these projects are not clarified;
• The managers or operators of these facilities remain unknown; etc.

Through this information note, the Core Group aims to contribute its insight to help ensure that the PDL-145T adopts the most suitable and cost-effective electrification solutions for each area.

By way of background, the Core Group has brought together, since early 2021, technical experts from various public and private institutions to reflect on the best electrification solutions across the country.

The Core Group has, among other things, conducted modeling sessions to identify least-cost electrification options and has supported the development of the “Congo Epela” platform. Coordinated by Resource Matters, this platform showcases, among other things, the current state of electricity access in the DRC, the available energy potential(solar, hydro, wind) in each area, and an estimate of the most affordable solution for each population cluster.

Drawing on this modeling and mapping work, the Core Group seeks to contribute meaningfully to rural electrification—a key pillar of the PDL-145T.

For more details, consult the full information note (available in French) to help reinforce the electrification component.