Hydroelectric Plant opens in DRC

By

Darell Maurice

The ceremony to open a hydroelectric plant at Matebe in the Rutshuru territory, about 70 km from Goma in North Kivu recently took place.

The date will forever be engraved in the memory of the town’s inhabitants following the official launch of electricity from the newly buit Matebe hydroelectric plant in their country.

With a capacity of 13 MW 6, Matebe hydropower plant will enable the socio-economic development of local communities and also reduce human pressure on forest resources of the Virunga National Park.

However, the hydropower plant construction at Matebe is welcomed by the people of Rutshuru, who did not hesitate to sell their land for this project,  however beneficial it was for them. The cost of the implementation of the hydroelectric dam at Matebe is estimated at over USD 20 million.

It should mean that the Matebe hydropower plant will enable the creation of jobs for young people, the drinking water supply and will also contribute enormously to the development of various beneficiary communities of the project.

Initially, electricity launched this morning in the hydroelectric plant at Matebe to the first power line of 34 km from Matebe – Rumangabo; and will expand to other areas of North Kivu. In addition, the Head of State asked the population to be vigilant for Rurtsuru “peace we have hard-won, the peace must also allow the integration of other projects.”

During his speech, the Minister of Energy, Nenga Matadi reported that the hydroelectric plant at Matebe “is a great work from the public-private partnership that will help us.”

So what yesterday was a dream became a reality. The eastern DRC has a hydropower plant that has just been opened by the Head of State. Different localities of North Kivu will be illuminated by electricity like Rumangabo which is today. It is a national pride; but it is up to the people of North Kivu, beneficiaries of this to be able to protect well.

National opinion believes that such kinds of integration projects will continue in other provinces of the country, given the Government’s determination to makes social population its current project.

Darell Maurice

Darell Maurice is a Journalist based in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city Kinshasa and works for Canal7kintv. He also blogs here.