The Democratic Republic of the Congo has launched HYDRO-RDC, a new investor-facing portal that maps 3,349 hydropower sites with an estimated combined potential of 167.25 GW, giving developers and public authorities a national reference point for future hydroelectric projects.
KINSHASA - September 21, 2026 - The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially launched HYDRO-RDC, a new digital platform designed to centralize technical and geographic information on hydropower sites across the country.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity says the national mapping identifies 3,349 hydropower sites with an estimated combined potential of 167.25 gigawatts.
According to Actualite, 251 of the identified sites already have hydropower installations, either operating or currently inactive.
The figures describe estimated hydroelectric resource potential. They do not mean the DRC currently has 167.25 GW of installed generation capacity or that every identified site is immediately ready for construction.
A national portal for investors and planners
The new platform is intended to make site information easier to access for investors, developers and public authorities.
7SUR7, reports that HYDRO-RDC allows users to consult, visualize and search available data on identified hydropower sites across the country.
The portal is expected to help orient investors toward locations with potentially favorable technical and economic characteristics while improving access to information needed for project preparation.
The government also expects the centralized database to improve coordination among institutions involved in the electricity sector.
DEVELOPMENT
DRC Launches HYDRO-RDC Portal for 3,349 Hydropower Sites
Sep 21, 2026
Sep 21, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has launched HYDRO-RDC, a new investor-facing portal that maps 3,349 hydropower sites with an estimated combined potential of 167.25 GW, giving developers and public authorities a national reference point for future hydroelectric projects.
KINSHASA - September 21, 2026 - The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially launched HYDRO-RDC, a new digital platform designed to centralize technical and geographic information on hydropower sites across the country.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity says the national mapping identifies 3,349 hydropower sites with an estimated combined potential of 167.25 gigawatts.
According to Actualite, 251 of the identified sites already have hydropower installations, either operating or currently inactive.
The figures describe estimated hydroelectric resource potential. They do not mean the DRC currently has 167.25 GW of installed generation capacity or that every identified site is immediately ready for construction.
A national portal for investors and planners
The new platform is intended to make site information easier to access for investors, developers and public authorities.
7SUR7, reports that HYDRO-RDC allows users to consult, visualize and search available data on identified hydropower sites across the country.
The portal is expected to help orient investors toward locations with potentially favorable technical and economic characteristics while improving access to information needed for project preparation.
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The government also expects the centralized database to improve coordination among institutions involved in the electricity sector.
HYDRO-RDC is accessible through hydro-rdc.gouv.cd, according to reporting on the launch.
3,349 sites, 167.25 GW of estimated potential
The newly formalized national hydropower map identifies 3,349 sites representing an estimated 167.25 GW of potential.
DeskEco says 251 of those sites already contain hydropower infrastructure that is either in service or inactive.
That means the vast majority of mapped sites remain at different stages of identification, assessment or possible future development.
Each potential project would still require detailed technical, hydrological, environmental, grid-demand and financial studies before a final investment decision could be made.
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For that reason, the national figure should be read as a resource estimate and planning inventory rather than a list of projects ready for immediate financing or construction.
Mapping becomes a reference for concessions and licences
The launch of HYDRO-RDC is also important because the national mapping is becoming part of the formal decision-making framework for hydropower concessions and licences.
7SUR7, reports that future concession and licence decisions in the hydropower sector must use the national mapping as a reference, in line with Article 47 of the electricity-sector law.
The same decisions must also align with national planning documents, including the National Electrification Master Plan and the Rural and Peri-Urban Electrification Master Plan.
LePoint, reports that the implementing order was signed on September 16, 2026, under reference CAB-M/RHE/ASM/257/2026, formalizing how the hydropower map should be used.
The database will continue to evolve
The government says the hydropower map is not final.
Actualite reports that the database will be updated as new sites are identified and as additional technical information becomes available.
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Concession holders and other sector participants may also be required to help keep site information current.
The government says this evolving approach is intended to improve the quality of planning over time rather than freeze the electricity sector around a one-time inventory.
Part of a broader electrification strategy
The DRC has some of the largest hydroelectric resources in Africa, but electricity access and reliable generation remain uneven across the country.
HYDRO-RDC is intended to improve the planning side of that challenge by giving the government and investors a clearer national picture of where hydropower resources may exist.
The platform also links project development more closely with the country's wider electrification plans.
If implementation works as intended, the system could help guide future investment toward sites that best match national electricity priorities, local demand and technical feasibility.
For now, the launch provides a new national reference point: 3,349 mapped hydropower sites, an estimated 167.25 GW of resource potential, and 251 sites with existing installations in operation or currently inactive.
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