DR Congo launches solar-battery hub powering Kamoa-Kakula copper mine

In Lualaba province, the DRC formally opened a solar-photovoltaic and battery installation that provides the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine with a reliable 60 MW of continuous power. Minister Aimé Molendo Sakombi presided over the event, which celebrated the completion of a hybrid system rated at about 430 MW of peak solar capacity and more than 1,100 MWh of storage. The two private firms, CrossBoundary Energy and Green World Energie, own and operate the facilities and sell electricity to Kamoa Copper under long-term contracts.

Construction started in June 2025, and the plant achieved full capacity by late September, cutting diesel use by roughly 40 % in September compared with earlier months. The project, part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on diesel and unreliable grid power, supports the mine’s expanding smelting operations and aims to lower operating costs. An expansion to add another 60 MW of solar and storage is planned, with completion targeted within 18 months.