Private investment in small hydro to ensure power for water supply in DRC

In many Central African countries, there is an urgent need to improve the water and power supply for small and large settlements. The current water supply is characterized by a shortage of electricity for the operation of pumps needed for the supply of fresh water. In general, the pumps are powered by diesel generators, whereas the diesel needs to be transported over long distances to the sites and generation costs are typically in the range of €0.4 to 0.5/kWh. Consequently, the water supply is costly, unreliable and operational only for a few hours a day. This paper presents a private-public partnership model to secure a reliable power supply for the water supply system, which has been elaborated for a pilot project, and highlights the successful approach that was selected to attract private sector participation for investments in the Democratic Republic of Congo.