Biogas Helps Cut Bills, Deforestation in East DR Congo
Umoja says a 6-kilogramme cylinder costs $8 and can feed a household for nearly two weeks, far less than charcoal.
- Residents in Goma, DRC, are increasingly turning to biogas as a cheaper alternative to charcoal, with a 13-pound cylinder costing $8 compared to $30 monthly for charcoal among the city's nearly one million people.
- Charcoal prices surged after the Rwanda-backed M23 seized Goma in January last year and banned logging in nearby Virunga National Park, disrupting local fuel supplies.
- Umoja, a local company operating since 2016, produces biogas by converting waste in cement digesters; employee Yves Rubarura collects "30 cartloads" of droppings weekly to support 50 digesters distributing 720 kilogrammes monthly.
- Users like Julienne Mukelenge and Romaine Kanyere report biogas is more economical than charcoal, while environmentalist Serge Bashonga stated the process reduces "toxic fumes from waste incineration" that pollute the city.
- Umoja director Victor Materanya noted that while urban residents lack space for digesters, he hopes to expand the technology into rural areas, though scaling remains difficult due to storage challenges and limited equipment.
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Biogas company in DRC aims to cut bills, deforestation and pollution
In DRC, local initiatives are turning to biogas to address the challenges of access to household energy. According to its promoters, this alternative helps reduce expenses related to charcoal, cope with power outages, and limit the effects of household pollution.
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Biogas helps cut bills, deforestation in east DR Congo
Julienne Mukelenge no longer worries about toxic fumes or power cuts when cooking at her home in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after switching to biogas, a renewable energy source that is cheaper and locally produced.
Inside stories: Biogas helps cut bills, deforestation in east DR Congo
Biogas, a cheap energy to reduce deforestation in the eastern DRC Admin FCE 06 May 2026 - 05:03 In his kitchen, Julienne Mukelenge no longer fears toxic fumes or power cuts. This resident of Goma, in the eastern part of the DRC, converted to biogas, a better market energy and less polluting, produced by a local company.In the large city of the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), "the current is expensive, but with biogas, it …
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