Matebe is the first private hydropower project to be completed under a June 2014 law that provided for the liberalization of the country’s electricity sector. While Congo has installed power-generating capacity of 2,442 megawatts, years of under-investment saw actual output decline to about 1,329 megawatts in 2014. The plant is currently electrifying the surrounding villages and the park headquarters via a 40-kilometer power line.
“Having worked alongside partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past 14 years, we are convinced that creating employment in sustainable industries through Congolese institutions is fundamental to creating lasting peace in the region,” Buffett, who funded the Matebe plant, said in a statement on the Save Virunga website.
In the absence of other reliable power sources, Matebe is under pressure from the state energy company to send electricity to Goma, de Merode said.
“Our initial responsibility is to the rural communities around the park,” he said, adding that he’s optimistic about the potential future reach of electricity generated by rivers flowing from the park’s mountainous interior.
“That potential really exists to develop a transformative sector,” he said. “The park can become an engine behind a new economy.”