A DRC Biogas Firm Wants to Reduce Costs, Pollution, and Deforestation
After converting to biogas, a less expensive and locally produced renewable energy source, Julienne Mukelenge no longer has to worry about harmful smells or power outages when cooking at her home in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.Standing in her kitchen, where blue flames licked the sides of a bubbling pot of that evening’s dinner, she remarked, “Electricity is expensive, but with biogas it’s very economical.”
The majority of the city’s almost one million residents rely on charcoal, or makala, for heating and cooking because they cannot afford to utilize electricity. However, since the M23 armed group captured Goma, a vital regional center in the east, in January of last year following intense combat with government forces, the price of a bag of charcoal has skyrocketed.
After a protracted period of inactivity, the Rwandan-backed M23 resumed operations in late 2021, seizing large portions of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and causing a large-scale population displacement.
The price of charcoal increased after the M23 took control of Goma and outlawed logging in Virunga National Park, which is close to the city, on the grounds that it supported pro-Kinshasa militias.
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