Congo Dr Energy Information

Congo Dr Energy Research

- Congo DR's Energy & Climate Policy Framework: Government targets 100% electrification by 2045, prioritising hydro, gas, and renewables under new energy policies.

- Congo DR's Energy Companies: SNEL dominates DRC’s electricity (95% capacity), while Perenco leads oil production. SNEL also handles transmission and distribution. Private firms like Virunga SARL and Sycohydro contribute to generation.

- Congo DR's Energy Supply & Demand: The Democratic Republic of Congo relies heavily on hydroelectricity (94% of capacity) and biomass (90% of energy supply), with rising demand (4%/year) and limited grid infrastructure. Oil is exported; net electricity importer despite vast hydro potential.

- Congo DR's Energy Use & Price by Sector: Biomass dominates energy use (90%), with low electrification (22%). Industry and transport sectors show contrasting trends, while energy prices remain high.

- Congo DR's Issues & Prospects: DRC’s energy sector sees slow progress in hydropower and solar projects, with Grand Inga (40 GW) and solar schemes (2 GW) facing delays due to funding and security concerns.

Congo Dr Total Energy Production & Consumption

Total energy consumption has been steadily increasing since 2020 at a rate of about 4%/year to 41 Mtoe in 2024, after a period of slower growth between 2013 and 2019 (around 2%/year). Biomass is the main energy source (90%, -3 pp since 2010), followed by oil (7%, +3 pp), and hydro (3%). Energy consumption per capita is 0.38 toe.

Graph: Primary Consumption Trends by Energy Source

Graph: Total Consumption Market Share by Energy (2024)

Source: Congo DR energy report

Interactive Chart Congo Dr Total Energy Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Congo Dr Oil Production & Consumption

Oil production sharply declined by nearly 18% in 2024 to 0.84 Mt, following a stability in 2023 and another significant drop of 13% in 2022. It was roughly stable between 2008 and 2021 (1.1-1.2 Mt) It declined before between a peak of 1.4 Mt in 2004 until 2008.

Since the closure of the SOCIR refinery in 2001, all the crude oil production is exported. Oil product consumption has been very rapid since 2021, reaching 2.7 Mt in 2024 (over 30%/year), after a growth by 7%/year over 2010-2019. It is almost entirely consumed in transport.

Graph: Crude Oil Production & Consumption

Source: Congo DR energy report

Interactive Chart Congo Dr Crude Oil Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Interactive Chart Congo Dr Refined Oil Products Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Congo Dr Renewable in % Electricity Production

The country is committed to maintaining the share of renewable energy in the power production mix at 95%, with production expected to double by 2030 and quintuple by 2040.

Source: Congo DR energy report

Interactive Chart Congo Dr Share of Renewables in Electricity Production (incl hydro)

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Congo Dr GHG emissions and CO₂ emissions

In its updated NDC (2021), the country is targeting a 21% reduction in GHG emissions in 2030 compared to a BAU scenario, of which 2% is unconditional and 19% is conditional upon international support. The investment needed to implement the NDC mitigation actions is estimated at US$25.6bn.

Source: Congo DR energy report

Interactive Chart Congo Dr CO₂ emissions

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data