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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Electricity: from the park to the people
The Rwenzori Mountains - source of electricity.
Cai Tjeenk Willink reports on the hydro-electric facility the park is building in Mutsora, our northern most headquarters next to the Rwenzori mountains. The water source comes from the towering mountains, and will bring electricity to the surrounding community for the first time ever. Try to imagine that. It’s exciting and probably the most ambitious community project the park has ever done, thanks entirely to funding from the EU. Here is Cai’s report with photos. Construction should be completed in November:
The construction of the Hydro-electric facility in Mutsora has entered its final phase. The turbine, the centerpiece of the installation, is arriving in Mombasa harbor (Kenya) at the beginning of next week. While it is being transported to the DRC, things will turn into overdrive in Mutwanga (the town near our headquarters) in order to make everything ready for reception of the equipment and subsequent installation.
Once the equipment has arrived it will be installed and commissioned by the German engineers that designed and constructed the turbine. If all goes well, Mutwanga will have electric lighting for Christmas.
It is an amazing sight to drive through Mutwanga at this time, the village where at least 50% of the houses are still made out of mud and thatch will have one of the finest electrical installations in the region. We expect to be giving over 10,000 people access to cheap electricity, which will make a massive impact on their lives. Besides that, the electricity will give small entrepreneurs the chance to develop industries that were previously impossible due to the cost of electricity. This in turn will increase the employment rate and as such the socio-economic development of the area.
Here are some images of the work as it is progressing:
The distribution network
The location where the turbine will be installed (with Jules)
The Barrage, the “dam” which leads the water from the river to our factory
An overview of the barrage and the start of the channel that brings the water to the factory
Water capture
Factory building, where the turbine will be installed.
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News from Congo- DR Congo fighting: Goma clashes 'kill 19' - BBC News
- DR Congo waits on funding for world's largest hydropower project - The Guardian
- World Forest Body Ends Danzer Contracts on ex-Congo Unit Abuses - Bloomberg
- How Congress Is Using the Congo to Weaken Dodd-Frank - U.S. News & World Report (blog)
- Congo Central Bank Governor Seen Extending Bank Services - Bloomberg
- M23 rebels attack DR Congo army as UN force deploys - BBC News
- Paul Kagame denies Rwanda proxies in DR Congo - BBC News
- UN made DR Congo problems 'worse' says Rwanda's Paul Kagame - BBC News
- DR Congo: UN voices concern as fighting resumes between Government and ... - UN News Centre
- Fighting breaks out in DR Congo - Sydney Morning Herald
This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
7 Responses to “Electricity: from the park to the people”
It is for with factory?
The factory is the “usine de production” that generates the electricity. It’s the building (bottom picture) that houses the turbine and the generator that will then supply the electricity
This is great news. That side of the mountains is not spoiled with such development. Cool.
This is an amazing project that will have a tangible impact on the quality of life for the local community. Well done!
Outstanding project! That first picture of the Rwenzori is amazing. I think the Rwenzoris are one of the most beautiful and unique mountains in the world.
I agree Dave, one day may we both go to visit them in Virunga!
C’est la fera la fierté du Secteur de Mutwanga.
Coup de chapeau aux autorités de l’ICCN.