Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge informed the council that the recommendations of the President of the Republic have been implemented in relation to the Katende hydroelectric project and the installation of six solar photovoltaic power plants. Working sessions on November 22 and 23 with all stakeholders.

According to the minutes of the 78th Ministerial Council Meeting, He completed the Katende project by the Minister of Water and Electricity Resources Olivier Mwenze Mukaleng who returned to the ongoing technical + financial evaluation work taking into account the work already done and the materials stored at the SNCC facility in Lubumbashi and on the Katende website.

“At the end of this work, he said, the government will discuss with the Indian side for the selection of companies to work with to complete the work,” reported the minutes of the meeting that was held on Friday, November 25, 2022.

The work on the Katende hydropower plant must be completely restarted without delay, and completed within a reasonable time, according to the contents of the DRC Ambassador to India, dated November 1, 2022, addressed to Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of External Affairs. This instruction was conveyed by President Félix Tshisekedi at the 77th meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Friday 18 November 2022.

The position of our government to the Indian side must be given immediately, he continued in his communication according to the minutes. According to Félix Tshisekedi, energy infrastructure is an initial priority for the country’s development and related investment project files need to be handled carefully by the relevant ministers.

The plant, which is located more than 75 km from Kananga city, the provincial capital, and 130 km from Mbuji-Mayi, with a capacity of 64 megawatts is intended to supply electricity to all provinces in the Kasai Besar region. , in particular the provinces of Kasai-Central and Kasai-Oriental. Operationalization of this factory has always been one of the demands of officials and elected citizens in DRC.

CLEMANCE MUAMBA