Rehabilitation of a hydropower plant in DRC to empower surrounding communities by JLA Hydro

JLA Hydro rehabilitated a 60 kW hydropower plant in Murhesa, DRC, which had been inactive for 15 years. The project, supported by a Belgian donor, included civil works and the installation of a custom crossflow turbine to power a minigrid. This has enabled the operation of a health centre, schools, and various food processing facilities, demonstrating the efficiency of hydropower rehabilitation for rural electrification.

• JLA Hydro rehabilitated a 60 kW hydropower plant in Murhesa, DRC, which had been non-operational for 15 years. The project involved a site survey, civil works including a new weir and water intake system upgrades, and the installation of a custom-built JLA crossflow turbine to power a modernised minigrid with automatic voltage and frequency regulation.
• The restoration of electricity has provided power to essential community infrastructure in Murhesa, including a health centre with a maternity ward, local schools, a cereal processing plant, a workshop, and a food production facility producing ice cream, jam, and cheese.
• The project emphasizes that rehabilitating existing hydropower plants can be a fast and cost-effective method for rural electrification at medium to large scales, offering reliable 24/7 energy without the maintenance costs or requirements associated with batteries.

APA

Özkan, O. (2025). Rehabilitation of a hydropower plant in DRC to empower surrounding communities by JLA Hydro. Alliance for Renewable Electrification. https://renewelec.org/rehabilitation-of-a-hydropower-plant-in-drc-to-empower-surrounding-communities-by-jla-hydro/

Chicago

Özkan, Okan. Rehabilitation of a hydropower plant in DRC to empower surrounding communities by JLA Hydro. Alliance for Renewable Electrification, 2025. https://renewelec.org/rehabilitation-of-a-hydropower-plant-in-drc-to-empower-surrounding-communities-by-jla-hydro/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Özkan |first1=Okan |title=Rehabilitation of a hydropower plant in DRC to empower surrounding communities by JLA Hydro |publisher=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |date=18 June 2025 |url=https://renewelec.org/rehabilitation-of-a-hydropower-plant-in-drc-to-empower-surrounding-communities-by-jla-hydro/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zkan2025rehabilitation, author = {Özkan, Okan}, title = {{Rehabilitation of a hydropower plant in DRC to empower surrounding communities by JLA Hydro}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://renewelec.org/rehabilitation-of-a-hydropower-plant-in-drc-to-empower-surrounding-communities-by-jla-hydro/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }