Congo Risks 50% Drop in Power Due to Record Low Rainfall
- Aaron Ross
- Mar 14, 2017
- 1 min read
Power production in Democratic Republic of Congo could fall by nearly half in the next dry season as scarce rainfall has left the Congo River at its lowest level in more than a century, the state generating company said on Wednesday.
In a country dependent on hydropower for nearly all its electricity, the shortfall would affect the dominant copper industry and other businesses.
Water levels in the Congo - Africa's second longest river, normally its deepest and a vital artery across the center of the continent - have fallen 50 percent compared to last year, said Medard Kitakani, spokesman for national utility SNEL.
That meant levels for the November-February period were at their lowest in more than 100 years, he told Reuters.
SNEL currently produces about 850 MW of power, and "if there is not an improvement in the levels of rainfall, there is a risk that we will lose 350-400 MW" during the dry season, Kitakani said.
Duncan Street