• ARE grants CrossBoundary Energy approval for production and sales

• Project includes 222 MWp solar plant and 526 MWh battery storage

• Mine to secure 30 MW continuous renewable power supply

The Electricity Sector Regulatory Authority (ARE) of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on February 11 that it granted two favorable opinions in early January to CrossBoundary Energy for a solar project to supply power to the Kamoa mine in Lualaba province. The approvals cover both electricity generation and commercialization.

@AREDRC1: 2 avis favorables à CrossBoundary Energy pour une centrale solaire de 233MWc au #Lualaba
➡️ 900 emplois créés
? Impact climatique: réduction de 78750 tonnes de gaz à effet de serre par an.
?https://t.co/ertyJYa9Ey#CrossBoundaryEnergy #EmiAfrica #TransitionÉnergétique pic.twitter.com/OGk1kE19Gt

— A.R.E/RDC (@AREDRC1) February 11, 2026

In April 2025, Kamoa Copper S.A. and CrossBoundary Energy signed a power purchase agreement for the project. It will include a 222 MWp solar plant combined with a battery storage system rated at 123 MVA for 526 MWh. The facility is expected to provide 30 MW of dispatchable renewable energy on a continuous basis and generate about 300,000 MWh per year. Emissions reductions are estimated at 78,750 tons of CO₂ annually.

CrossBoundary Energy will own and operate the plant, while Kamoa Copper will pay for the electricity consumed. The mining complex is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group, and the Congolese state, which holds a 20% stake. The site has a production capacity of about 600,000 tons of copper per year.

According to the World Bank, electricity access in the DRC stood at 22% in 2023, among the lowest rates on the continent, affecting both households and industrial sectors.

In this context, the development of solar generation with storage allows the Kamoa-Kakula site to secure continuous power supply, typically provided by fossil energy, while reducing reliance on a limited and unstable national grid. The project also aligns the copper operation with environmental sustainability goals.

Abdoullah Diop