The Democratic Republic of Congo's national electricity company, SNEL SA, is moving forward with a $46.4 million project to modernize the power grid in northern Kinshasa. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, will take 16 months to finish.

SNEL SA's Deputy General Director, Bienvenue Munyango, confirmed the details during a site visit on August 16, 2025. The work, contracted to China's CHINT Electric under an agreement signed on April 24, aims to rehabilitate the aging networks in the communes of Barumbu, Gombe, Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa, and Lingwala.

During the visit, CHINT Electric announced the import of more than 300 containers of equipment, including power transformers of up to 130 MVA, medium and low voltage cells, high-capacity cables, and 25,000 smart prepayment meters. These meters will allow customers to transition to billing based on actual consumption, a key step in SNEL's digitization of services and revenue management.

The project also includes the installation of a 100/130 MVA 220/20 kV transformer at the Utexco high-voltage station, the laying of 67 km of new 30 kV links between substations, a full modernization of the Sendwe, Ndolo, and VDP stations, and the rehabilitation of 204 existing electrical cabins.

This project is a component of the PEGASE project, which secured a $135 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2017. Its implementation has faced delays, however, due to slow procurement procedures, according to a January 2024 evaluation report.

According to SNEL General Director Fabrice Lusinde, the company will gradually extend modernization efforts to all of Kinshasa. In support of this broader goal, SNEL has secured a $27 million non-reimbursable grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The agreement, signed on May 4, 2025, between Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Japan's Ambassador Ogawa Hidetoshi, will specifically support the rehabilitation of networks in the communes of Limete, Lemba, Matete, Ngaba, and Kisenso.

Timothée Manoke (Intern)