Country snapshot · Central Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Solar added each year
Ember estimates of all solar (utility-scale, distributed and off-grid), MW. 2026 is Ember’s full-year estimate.
View as tableHide table
| Year | MW | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 37.9 | Ember estimate |
| 2024 | 63.1 | Ember estimate |
| 2025 | 264.5 | Ember estimate |
| 2026E | 1,703.8 | Ember estimate, full year |
9.8% of Africa’s estimated 2026 solar additions (1,703.8 of 17,449.4 MW).1
Who has electricity
Share of people with access to electricity, 2024: rural and urban.
View as tableHide table
| Area | Access | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 1.0% | 2024 |
| Urban | 55.0% | 2024 |
| National | 22.5% | 2024 |
World Bank WDI, 2024.2
How reliable is the grid for business?
Firms experiencing electrical outages (2024 survey), compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.3,4N4
77.4% (2024 survey) · Sub-Saharan Africa 72.4% · World 47.5% (2025)
The rules for small-scale generationN5
Export rules: None found4–8
- Regulator
- ARE (Autorité de Régulation de l'Électricité)
- Main utility
- SNEL
Export rulesNone foundShow detail
None found
How exports are creditedNone foundShow detail
None found
Size limits and licensingFree <=50 kW; declaration to 99 kW; authorisation to 1 MWShow detail
Free <=50 kW; declaration to 99 kW; authorisation to 1 MW
Mini-grid rulesNot reviewed in this edition.Show detail
Not reviewed in this edition.
Market access beyond the utilityLiberalised 2014; ARE 2016Show detail
Liberalised 2014; ARE 2016
Aggregation / VPP rulesNone foundShow detail
None found
“None found” means we could not locate a rule in public sources reviewed to 10 October 2026, not that one cannot exist.
Recent developments
Dated developments, 2024–2026.
The full report
This is a snapshot. The full story is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
The full analysis, with 17 exhibits on the boom, the data gap, the economics and the four building blocks, is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
