- Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso recently inaugurated the Renewable Energy Research Centre.
- The infrastructure is based in the town of Oyo, where recurrent power cuts are hampering the economic development of at least 5 000 inhabitants.
The Renewable Energy Research Center was recently opened by the government of this nation in Central Africa. The complex, located near the town of Oyo, 400 kilometers from the capital Brazzaville, has offices and housing for researchers from the Congo and other African countries.
The Oyo center took five years to complete and cost €24 million (15.7 billion CFA francs) in total. The Republic of Congo, the Italian oil company Eni, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) collaborated to finance it. Claudio Desclazi, managing director of Eni, claims that this anticipated diversification of the electrical mix will make it easier for Congolese communities without connection to the national grid to obtain electricity.
The authorities in this country in central Africa, where 68.5% of the population has access to energy, are also counting on the upcoming 3.4 MW hybrid solar power plant in Impfondo, which is located in the Likouala district. ABC Contracting of Belgium’s Produits de Construction de Brazzaville (PROCOB), a subsidiary, is handling the project, which will begin in 2021. On an 11-hectare location, the plant will contain 11,520 solar panels that can supply 6,480 kVa to handle load shedding.