What SINELAC does

SINELAC (Société Internationale d'Électricité des Pays des Grands Lacs) is an intergovernmental hydroelectric utility and specialized organism of the CEPGL (Communauté Économique des Pays des Grands Lacs), established in 1983 by international convention signed by the heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), Rwanda, and Burundi. The company is headquartered in Bukavu, South Kivu Province (DRC), and operates the Ruzizi II hydroelectric power plant installed on the Rusizi River between Rwanda and DRC, with operational facilities at Mumosho (DRC) and a dispatching post at Mururu II in Rwanda that coordinates allocation across the CEPGL interconnected grid.

SINELAC's core technology consists of the Ruzizi II generation facility and the Mururu II dispatching substation, which together produce and route hydroelectric baseload power to the three state-owned National Electricity Companies (SNEL SA in DRC, EUCL in Rwanda, and REGIDESO in Burundi). All energy allocation is proportional to each member state's equal equity stake in SINELAC, with governance exercised through an Assembly of Associates, a six-member Board of Directors (two per state), a Collège des Commissaires aux Comptes, and a three-person Comité de Direction led by the Directeur Général.

The company generates revenue through a usage-based model: a fixed capacity charge plus a variable per-kWh charge denominated in Special Drawing Rights (DTS), with tariffs set by the Management Committee and approved by the Board under OHADA accounting standards. In 2022 the plant produced 201,130 MWh and distributed 196,532.26 MWh. SINELAC reported positive net results of 4,900,721.18 DTS for FY2024 and 3,652,356.37 DTS for FY2025. The entity has approximately 10 staff, no private-equity or venture funding, and is currently engaged in an institutional reform and rehabilitation process supported by KfW (the German development bank) with EGL (Énergie des Pays des Grands Lacs) acting as delegated project owner.

Name

SINELAC

Legal name

Société Internationale d'Électricité des Pays des Grands Lacs

Website

https://sinelac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SINELAC is an intergovernmental hydroelectric utility operating the Ruzizi II plant on the Rusizi River, selling baseload power exclusively to three state-owned national utilities (SNEL, EUCL, REGIDESO) in DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi under a 1983 CEPGL treaty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Hydroelectric Power Generation

NAICS

Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Bulk Power Transmission and Control (221121)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Transmission Interconnection & Line Works (Gen-Tie Lines, Overhead/Underground Lines) (EUAMAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Substations, Transformers & Grid Step-Up Facilities (EHV Substations, GSU Transformers) (EUAMAFAE)

Keywords

• Hydroelectric power generation
• Cross-border electricity supply
• Intergovernmental utility services
• Regional power dispatching
• Wholesale baseload electricity

Headquarters

HQ city

Bukavu

HQ country

Congo - Kinshasa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales to National Utilities: SINELAC generates revenue by selling electricity produced at the Ruzizi II hydroelectric plant to the three National Electricity Companies (SNEL in DRC, EUCL in Rwanda, and REGIDESO in Burundi). Pricing is structured with a fixed capacity charge and a per-kWh variable charge, adjusted regularly by the Management Committee. The company achieved a positive net result of 4,900,721.18 DTS in 2024 and 3,652,356.37 DTS in 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SINELAC operates the Ruzizi II hydroelectric power plant on the Rusizi River between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, generating electricity and selling it on a wholesale basis to the three national electricity companies of the CEPGL member states (SNEL in DRC, EUCL in Rwanda, and REGIDESO in Burundi). It also runs the Mururu II dispatching post in Rwanda, coordinating cross-border power flows on the CEPGL interconnected grid.

Product overview

SINELAC operates as an international electricity company managing the Ruzizi II hydroelectric power plant and commercializing the generated electricity to national utilities. The core offerings consist of hydroelectric power generation through Ruzizi II, electricity commercialization to three CEPGL member countries (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi), and dispatching operations through the Mururu II substation that coordinates energy distribution across the regional interconnected network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ruzizi II Hydroelectric Power Plant Operations Operation and commercial exploitation of the Ruzizi II hydroelectric generating station on the Rusizi River between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, delivering wholesale baseload power to national electricity companies SNEL (DRC), EUCL (Rwanda) and REGIDESO (Burundi) under intergovernmental arrangements.
• Wholesale Electricity Supply to CEPGL National Utilities Wholesale sale of CEPGL-generated hydroelectric energy from the Ruzizi II plant to the three state-owned national electricity companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SNEL), Rwanda (EUCL) and Burundi (REGIDESO), under long-term power purchase arrangements structured around capacity and energy charges.
• Mururu II Dispatching Post Operations Regional dispatching and coordination of power flows across the CEPGL interconnected grid, operated from the Mururu II dispatching post in Rwanda, supporting reliable delivery of Ruzizi II output to SNEL, EUCL and REGIDESO.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 201,130 MWh of active energy in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EGL (Énergie des Pays des Grands Lacs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEGL is the CEPGL's specialized energy agency that acts as the delegated project owner (Maître d'Ouvrage Délégué) for the Ruzizi II rehabilitation and related projects. EGL coordinates energy planning and studies across the three member countries and works alongside SINELAC in the execution of regional energy initiatives.
• CEPGL (Communauté Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSINELAC is a specialized organism of the CEPGL, established by a 1983 convention signed by the heads of state of DRC (then Zaire), Rwanda, and Burundi. The CEPGL is the parent regional integration body, and SINELAC's mandate, governance structure, and existence are embedded within the CEPGL framework. SINELAC's board representation and energy allocation are directly tied to CEPGL membership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Itaipu Binacional: Binational hydroelectric utility jointly owned by Brazil and Paraguay to operate the Itaipu Dam. The most structurally and commercially analogous peer to SINELAC in terms of intergovernmental ownership, cross-border mandate, and treaty-level off-take rights.
• EUCL (Electrogaz Rwanda): Rwanda's national electricity and water utility, and SINELAC's Rwandan off-take counterparty. Closely comparable in operations as a state-owned generation, procurement, and distribution player, though operating across Rwanda rather than on a single cross-border asset.
• SNEL SA: National electricity utility of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and SINELAC's primary off-take counterparty. Comparable as a major African state utility in function, though vertically integrated across generation, transmission, and distribution rather than focused on a single hydro asset.
• REGIDESO: National water and electricity utility of Burundi, and SINELAC's third off-take counterparty. Comparable structurally as a state-owned integrated utility serving Burundi, with similar customer-base dynamics to SINELAC's downstream counterparts.
• Zambezi River Authority (Kariba Dam): Binational authority jointly managing the Kariba Dam between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Operates a shared cross-border hydro asset under a similar supranational governance framework, making it one of the most structurally relevant African peers for SINELAC.
• SOGEM (Société de Gestion du Barrage de Manantali): Manantali Energy Management entity within OMVS operating the Manantali multi-purpose dam shared by Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. The closest African peer of SINELAC in terms of multi-country hydro ownership and shared infrastructure across national borders.
• Entidad Binacional Yacyretá: Binational Argentine-Paraguayan entity operating the Yacyretá hydroelectric dam. Comparable to SINELAC as another South American binational public-law electricity entity with shared sovereign ownership and treaty-anchored electricity sales.

Emerging players

• EGL / Ruzizi III Energy Project: Planned follow-on to the Ruzizi cascade, coordinated by EGL (the CEPGL's energy agency) with KfW and AfDB support. The most directly comparable project to SINELAC in terms of cross-border hydroelectric scope and CEPGL alignment, though still in development rather than operational.

Broad incumbents

• Eskom Holdings SOC: State-owned, vertically-integrated national electricity utility of South Africa and the largest power utility in Africa. Although much larger and coal-weighted, Eskom provides a reference point for state-owned African utility operations, tariff-setting dynamics, and off-take relationships.
• Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC): Kenya's national electricity distribution utility, with significant public-sector ownership and a history of cross-border power imports. Comparable as a regional utility with cross-border purchase dynamics akin to SINELAC's downstream off-takers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SinelacInfo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sinelac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SINELAC