Gallery · Budana, DR Congo

From river to customer.

How we generate and sell energy at Budana — every step of the process, from the dam on the River Shari to the meter on the pole.

01 · The Water

Dam, canal, penstock.

The main dam on the River Shari at Budana — The Dam
The main dam checks the flow of the River Shari at a natural waterfall, forming a reservoir on the river's course. From here, water is fed into the canal that supplies the station.

The 500-metre canal carrying water from the River Shari to the turbines — The Canal
Water diverted from the Shari travels to the turbines along a 500-metre canal cut into the surrounding bedrock. The civil engineering dates from the 1940s and remains in near-perfect condition.

Penstocks carrying water from the canal down to the turbine hall — The Penstocks
Two penstocks carry water from the canal down to the turbine hall. One is shared between the two operational turbines; the other is dedicated solely to Turbine 3, which awaits refurbishment.

02 · Maintenance

Keeping the water flowing.

Each month Greentech clears the dam and canal — not only silt washed down by upstream deforestation, but metric tonnes of plastic dumped into the Shari. Left in place it would choke the flow into the penstocks, so it is removed and recycled.

Plastic waste accumulated against the dam — Before
Plastic accumulated at the dam

The dam cleared of plastic after monthly maintenance — After
The same stretch, cleared and flowing

03 · The Grid

Rebuilding the network.

Greentech engineers erecting a new distribution pole in Bunia — Pole by pole
Greentech's engineers have focused resources on reconstructing Bunia's grid, replacing a pre-existing network that was unsafe and wasteful. The programme has extended supply to people and communes of the city where electricity was not accessible before.

Primary transformer substation in Bunia — Substations
Major works in 2025 overhauled Bunia's primary 55kV-to-33kV transformer substations, providing the foundation for the grid's stability.

Nova 33kV to 11kV transformer being installed — Nova transformers
To guarantee the quality of the power we distribute, Greentech has installed 33kV-to-11kV Nova transformers throughout the city — typically one for every fifty clients.

Pole-mounted Nova transformer on the Bunia network — Nova transformers
To guarantee the quality of the power we distribute, Greentech has installed 33kV-to-11kV Nova transformers throughout the city — typically one for every fifty clients.

04 · The Customer

Every unit metered, every unit paid for.

Pole-mounted pre-paid meters on the Bunia network — Pre-paid metering
Pole-mounted pre-paid meters underpin a long-term, sustainable sales model: customers pay as they go and are charged a proportional rate on their usage.

Greentech employee checking the reading on a three-phase meter — Three-phase clients
An engineer checks the reading on a three-phase meter, used to track our growing list of three-phase clients — including universities, churches and nascent industry in Bunia.

Open-air fish market in Bunia — Economic impact
A historic lack of energy means markets operate in the open air, where fresh produce has a limited lifespan. With consistent access to electricity, vendors are driving an uptick in demand for refrigerators and coolers.